Apparatus and method for processing a substrate
An apparatus for processing a substrate according to the present invention comprises a lamp unit heating the substrate placed in the chamber at a position facing the substrate. A transmission window constituting the top wall of the chamber and transmitting light emitted from the lamp unit is provided between the chamber and the lamp unit. A window assembly having a wall constituted by the transmission window is provided at the lamp unit side of the transmission window. An evacuation unit is connected to the window assembly. A pressure control unit controls the evacuation unit to maintain the internal pressure of the window assembly at a specific pressure. In this way, multiple substrates are subject to a significantly uniform substrate processing when they are processed in succession.
1 . An apparatus for processing a substrate, comprising:
a chamber in which a substrate is placed;
a lamp unit heating the substrate placed in the chamber at a position facing the substrate;
a transmission window constituting a wall of the chamber between the chamber and the lamp unit and transmitting light emitted from the lamp unit;
a decompression room having a wall constituted by the transmission window at the lamp unit side of the transmission window;
an evacuation unit vacuuming the interior of the decompression room; and
a pressure control unit controlling the evacuation unit to maintain the pressure within the decompression room at a specific pressure.
2 . An apparatus for processing a substrate according to claim 1 , wherein the decompression room comprises a wall that transmits light emitted from the lamp unit at the opposing position to the transmission window and the lamp unit is provided on the exterior surface of the wall.
3 . An apparatus for processing a substrate according to claim 1 , wherein the decompression room is provided within the lamp unit.
4 . An apparatus for processing a substrate according to claim 1 , wherein the pressure control unit increases an internal pressure of the decompression room according to the number of performed substrate processings when two or more substrate processings are successively performed.
5 . An apparatus for processing a substrate according to claim 2 , wherein the pressure control unit increases an internal pressure of the decompression room according to the number of performed substrate processings when two or more substrate processings are successively performed.
6 . An apparatus for processing a substrate according to claim 3 , wherein the pressure control unit increases an internal pressure of the decompression room according to the number of performed substrate processings when two or more substrate processings are successively performed.
7 . A method for processing a substrate to perform two or more substrate processings successively in which a substrate placed in a chamber is heated by light emitted from a lamp unit provided outside the chamber and introduced through a transmission window constituting a wall of the chamber, comprising the steps of:
setting an internal pressure of a decompression room having a wall constituted by the transmission window at the lamp unit side of the transmission window for a specific pressure according to the number of performed substrate processings; and
heating the substrate placed in the chamber with the emitted light to perform the substrate processing.
8 . A method for processing a substrate according to claim 7 , wherein the substrate processing is performed while the interior of the chamber is vacuumed.
9 . A method for processing a substrate according to claim 8 , wherein the internal pressure of the decompression room is lower than the internal pressure of the chamber.
10 . A method for processing a substrate according to claim 7 , wherein the internal pressure of the decompression room is increased according to the number of performed substrate processings.
11 . A method for processing a substrate according to claim 8 , wherein the internal pressure of the decompression room is increased according to the number of performed substrate processings.
12 . A method for processing a substrate according to claim 9 , wherein the internal pressure of the decompression room is increased according to the number of performed substrate processings.
13 . A method for processing a substrate according to claim 9 , wherein the substrate processing is a process of forming an oxide on a substrate while introducing a gas containing an oxidizing gas and hydrogen gas into the chamber.
14 . A method for processing a substrate according to claim 13 , wherein the total of partial pressures of the oxidizing gas and hydrogen gas in the chamber is 1 Torr to 50 Torr.
15 . A method for processing a substrate according to claim 13 , wherein the oxidizing gas is oxygen gas and water vapor and oxygen radicals are produced in the chamber.