Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9378940-B2
Application number	US-201313916826-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 13, 2013
Priority date	Jun 22, 2012
Publication date	Jun 28, 2016
Grant date	Jun 28, 2016

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a substrate processing apparatus including: a substrate processing chamber configured to process a substrate on which a target layer to be removed is formed on the surface of an underlying layer; a substrate holding unit provided in the substrate processing chamber and configured to hold the substrate; a mixed liquid supplying unit configured to supply a mixed liquid of sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide to the substrate held by the substrate holding unit in a mixing ratio of the hydrogen peroxide and a temperature that does not damage the underlying layer while removing the target layer; and an OH-group supplying unit configured to supply a fluid containing OH-group to the substrate in an amount that does not damage the underlying layer when the mixed liquid and the OH-group are mixed on the substrate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A substrate processing apparatus comprising:
a substrate processing chamber configured to process a substrate on which a target layer to be removed is formed on the surface of an underlying layer;
a substrate holding unit provided in the substrate processing chamber and configured to hold the substrate;
a mixed liquid supplying unit configured to supply a mixed liquid of sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide to the substrate held by the substrate holding unit in a mixing ratio and at a temperature that does not damage the underlying layer while removing the target layer;
an OH-group supplying unit configured to supply a fluid containing OH-group to the substrate in an amount that does not damage the underlying layer when the mixed liquid and the OH-group are mixed on the substrate, while supplying the mixed liquid of sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide to the substrate; and
a controller configured to control operation of the substrate processing apparatus, wherein the controller is configured to control flow rates of sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide, wherein the controller is configured to control the OH-group supplying unit such that the controller controls a flow rate of fluid containing OH-group supplied to the substrate, and
wherein the controller is programmed such that the amount of the fluid containing OH-group supplied to the substrate is decreased while continuing the supply of the mixed liquid of sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide to the substrate, and
as the processing progresses and less of the target substrate is removed, the reduction of the supply of the fluid containing OH-group results in less heat being generated and allows removal of the remnants of the target substrate while reducing the risk of damage to the underlying layer.

2. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the OH-group supplying unit is configured to locally supply the OH-group to a portion where the mixed liquid is supplied from the mixed liquid supplying unit.

3. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the mixed liquid supplying unit moves relative to the substrate, and the OH-group supplying unit is provided at an upstream side with respect to a movement direction of the mixed liquid supplying unit that moves relative to the substrate.

4. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the OH-group supplying unit is configured to supply the OH-group to the entire inside of the substrate processing chamber.

5. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the OH-group supplying unit is configured to decrease the temperature of the supplied OH-group during the supply of the OH-group.

6. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the mixed liquid supplying unit is configured to decrease the mixing ratio of the hydrogen peroxide included in the supplied mixed liquid during the supply of the mixed liquid.

7. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the mixed liquid supplying unit is configured to decrease the temperature of the supplied mixed liquid during the supply of the mixed liquid.

8. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the mixed liquid supplying unit includes a twin fluid nozzle where the mixed liquid is made into droplets using inert gas.

9. A substrate processing method comprising:
providing a processing chamber configured to process a substrate on which a target substrate to be removed is formed on the surface of an underlying layer, the substrate being held by a substrate holding unit;
supplying a mixed liquid of sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide to the substrate from a mixed liquid supplying unit in a mixing ratio and at a temperature that does not damage the underlying layer while removing the target layer, thereby removing the target layer;
while supplying the mixed liquid of sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide to the substrate, supplying a fluid containing OH-group to the substrate from an OH-group supplying unit in an amount that does not damage the underlying layer when the mixed liquid of the sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide and the OH-group are mixed on the substrate; and
then while continuing the supply of the mixed liquid of sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide to the substrate, decreasing the amount of the fluid containing OH-group supplied to the substrate,
wherein as the processing progresses and less of the target substrate is removed, the reduction of the supply of the fluid containing OH-group results in less heat being generated and allows removal of the remnants of the target substrate while reducing the risk of damage to the underlying layer.

10. The substrate processing method of claim 9 , wherein the OH-group is locally supplied to a portion to which the mixed liquid is supplied.

11. The substrate processing method of claim 10 , wherein the portion to which the mixed liquid is supplied is moved relative to the substrate, and the OH-group is supplied at an upstream side with respect to the progressing direction of the moving portion to which the mixed liquid is supplied.

12. The substrate processing method of claim 9 , wherein the OH-group is supplied to the entire inside of the substrate processing chamber.

13. The substrate processing method of claim 9 , wherein the temperature of the supplied OH-group is decreased during the supply of the OH-group.

14. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the mixing ratio of the hydrogen peroxide included in the supplied mixed liquid is decreased during the supply of the mixed liquid.

15. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the temperature of the supplied mixed liquid is decreased during the supply of the mixed liquid.

16. The substrate processing method of claim 9 , wherein the mixed liquid is made into droplets using inert gas.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program that, when executed, cause a computer to perform a substrate processing method, the substrate processing method comprising:
providing a processing chamber configured to process a substrate on which a target layer to be removed is formed on the surface of an underlying layer, the substrate being held by a substrate holding unit;
supplying a mixed liquid of sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide to the substrate from a mixed liquid supplying unit in a mixing ratio and at a temperature that does not damage the underlying layer while removing the target layer, thereby removing the target layer;
while supplying the mixed liquid of sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide to the substrate, supplying a fluid containing OH-group to the substrate from an OH-group supplying unit in an amount that does not damage the underlying layer when the mixed liquid of the sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide and the OH-group are mixed on the substrate; and
then while continuing the supply of the mixed liquid of sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide to the substrate, decreasing the amount of the fluid containing OH-group supplied to the substrate,
wherein as the processing progresses and less of the target layer is removed, the reduction of the supply of the fluid containing OH-group results in less heat being generated and allows removal of the remnants of the target layer while reducing the risk of damage to the underlying layer.

Assignees

• Tokyo Electron Ltd

Inventors

• Kawano Hisashi
• Ito Norihiro
• Hachiya Yosuke
• Nogami Jun
• Ooishi Kotaro
• Kanno Itaru

Classifications

• H10P72/0414

  using mainly spraying means, e.g. nozzles · CPC title

• H10P50/287

  by chemical means · CPC title

• H10P70/20 Primary

  Cleaning during device manufacture · CPC title

• H10P50/28

  of insulating materials · CPC title

• H10P50/00 Primary

  Etching of wafers, substrates or parts of devices · CPC title