Substrate processing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9869022-B2
Application number	US-201514672795-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 30, 2015
Priority date	Jul 4, 2014
Publication date	Jan 16, 2018
Grant date	Jan 16, 2018

Abstract

A substrate processing apparatus includes a shower head configured to disperse a gas; a process vessel installed at a downstream side of the shower head and configured to have a process space that allows a substrate to be processed by a process gas therein; a gas supplier connected to the shower head; a shower head gas exhauster connected to the shower head; and a capturing assembly configured to capture a component different from the process gas within the shower head.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A substrate processing apparatus, comprising:
a shower head configured to disperse a gas;
a process vessel installed at a downstream side of the shower head and configured to have a process space in which a substrate is processed by a process gas;
a gas supplier connected to the shower head;
a capturing assembly, including either a combination of a cryotrap and a vacuum pump or a cryopump;
a shower head gas exhauster, wherein the shower head gas exhauster includes:
a first exhaust pipe with a first valve for exhausting the shower head, the first exhaust pipe being connected to the shower head; and
a second exhaust pipe, one end of the second exhaust pipe being connected to a portion of the first exhaust pipe between the shower head and the first valve, wherein, in the second exhaust pipe, a second valve for exhausting the shower head and the capturing assembly are installed in this order from an upstream side of the shower head; and

a controller configured to:
in a film forming process being performed with respect to the substrate in the process space, control the substrate processing apparatus to process the substrate by supplying the process gas from the gas supplier to the processing space; and
in a cleaning solution removal process after a wet-cleaning of the shower head, the cleaning solution removal process being performed with respect to no substrate in the process space, control the vacuum pump or the cryopump to capture a component different from the process gas, among residual components of the cleaning solution in the wet-cleaning, by closing the first valve and opening the second valve.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the shower head comprises a lid in which a gas guide is installed, and a dispersion plate configured to disperse a supplied gas.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the gas supplier comprises a precursor gas supply system configured to supply a precursor gas, a reaction gas supply system configured to supply a reaction gas that reacts with the precursor gas, and an inert gas supply system configured to supply an inert gas.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the process space is connected to a process space exhauster, the process space exhauster having a third exhaust pipe with a third valve for exhausting the process space.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a common exhaust pipe is connected to downstream sides of the first exhaust pipe and the second exhaust pipe, and wherein a second vacuum pump that can exhaust in a range of a pressure higher than a pressure of the vacuum pump is connected to the common exhaust pipe.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the gas supplier comprises a precursor gas supply system configured to supply a precursor gas, a reaction gas supply system configured to supply a reaction gas that reacts with the precursor gas, and an inert gas supply system configured to supply an inert gas.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 ,
wherein the film forming process includes a precursor gas supply process of evacuating air from the process space exhauster while supplying a precursor gas; a reaction gas supply process of evacuating air from the process space exhauster while supplying the reaction gas; and a shower head exhaust process of, between the precursor gas supply process and the reaction gas supply process, evacuating air from the shower head, in a state in which the first valve for exhausting the shower head is opened and the second valve for exhausting the shower head is closed.

Assignees

• Hitachi Int Electric Inc
• Hitachi Int Electric Inc

Inventors

• Sawada Motoshi

Classifications

• C23C16/45565 Primary

  Shower nozzles · CPC title

• C23C16/45587

  Mechanical means for changing the gas flow · CPC title

• C23C16/4412

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

• C23C16/52

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

• C23C16/45544

  characterized by the apparatus · CPC title