Substrate processing apparatus, method of manufacturing semiconductor device, and recording medium

1 . A substrate processing apparatus, comprising:

a substrate holder provided with a substrate mounting table on which a substrate is mounted;

a substrate transferrer configured to load or unload the substrate onto or from the substrate mounting table;

a process container configured to accommodate the substrate holder holding the substrate;

a film-forming gas supply system configured to supply a film-forming gas to the substrate in the process container; and

a controller configured to be capable of controlling the substrate transferrer and the film-forming gas supply system to interrupt a film forming process at least once during a period from a start of the film forming process in which the film-forming gas is supplied to form a film of a desired thickness on the substrate, before a film of a critical thickness at which the substrate cannot be separated off from the substrate mounting table by the substrate transfer is formed, cool the substrate to a predetermined temperature, and perform a process for separating, in which the substrate transfer lifts up the substrate placed on the substrate mounting table and then lowers only the substrate to an original position on the substrate mounting table without transporting the substrate.

2 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the controller is configured to be capable of controlling the substrate transferrer and the film-forming gas supply system to perform a cycle, in which the process of supplying the film-forming gas, the process of interrupting the supply of the film-forming gas before the film having the critical thickness is formed on the substrate, and the process for separating are performed in this order, a predetermined number of times until the film having the desired thickness is formed on the substrate after the film forming process is started.

3 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the process for separating is a process performed simultaneously on a plurality of substrates.

4 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the substrate transferrer includes a sensor configured to detect a success or a failure of the process for separating, and

the controller is configured to interrupt subsequent processes when the sensor detects the failure of the process for separating.

5 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4 ,

wherein the controller is configured to issue an alarm when the sensor detects the failure of the process for separating.

6 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4 ,

wherein the failure of the process for separating indicates that at least one of the substrate holder, the substrate transferrer, and the substrate is damaged.

7 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4 ,

wherein the failure of the process for separating indicates that the substrate cannot be separated from the substrate holder with a predetermined torque of the substrate transferrer.

8 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4 ,

wherein the controller is configured to be capable of performing a retry process by the substrate transferrer when the sensor detects the failure of the process for separating.

9 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 8 ,

wherein the retry process is performed a predetermined number of times, which is one or more times.

10 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 9 ,

wherein the controller interrupts subsequent processes when the sensor detects the failure of the process for separating in the retry process.

11 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the controller continues subsequent processes when the sensor detects a success of the process for separating in the retry process.

12 . A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising:

loading a substrate onto a substrate mounting table provided in a substrate holder by a substrate transferrer;

transferring the substrate holder holding the substrate into a process container; and

supplying a film-forming gas to the substrate in the process container,

wherein, in the supply of the film-forming gas to the substrate, between a start of supplying the film-forming gas to the substrate and a formation of a film of a desired thickness on the substrate, the supply of the film-forming gas is interrupted at least once before a critical thickness of the film is formed at which the substrate cannot be separated off from the substrate mounting part by a substrate transfer mechanism, and the substrate is cooled to a predetermined temperature, the substrate placed on the substrate mounting part is lifted by the substrate transfer mechanism, and a separation process is performed in which the substrate is lowered to an original position on the substrate mounting part without transporting the substrate.

13 . A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a program that causes, by a computer, a substrate processing apparatus to perform a process comprising:

loading a substrate onto a substrate mounting table provided in a substrate holder by a substrate transferrer;

transferring the substrate holder holding the substrate into a process container; and

supplying a film-forming gas to the substrate in the process container,

wherein, in the supply of the film-forming gas to the substrate, between a start of supplying the film-forming gas to the substrate and a formation of a film of a desired thickness on the substrate, the supply of the film-forming gas is interrupted at least once before a critical thickness of the film is formed at which the substrate cannot be separated off from the substrate mounting part by a substrate transfer mechanism, and the substrate is cooled to a predetermined temperature, the substrate placed on the substrate mounting part is lifted by the substrate transfer mechanism, and then a separation process is performed in which the substrate is lowered to an original position on the substrate mounting part without transporting the substrate.

14 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a waiting chamber configured to below the process container for loading and unloading the substrate, and

wherein the process for separating is configured to be performed in the waiting chamber.