IP Library Granted Patent US 9,269,566
Granted Patent B2
US 9,269,566 · App. 14/661,970 · Granted Feb 23, 2016

Substrate processing apparatus

Inventors: Naonori Akae (Toyama, JP); Yoshiro Hirose (Toyama, JP); Yushin Takasawa (Toyama, JP); Yosuke Ota (Toyama, JP)
Assignee: Hitachi Kokusai Electric Inc.
H01L21/02164C23C16/45512C23C16/45525C23C16/45546C23C16/45574C23C16/45578H01L21/0223H01L21/0228H01L21/0262H01L21/02211H01L21/02238H01L21/02263H01L21/02337H01L21/02532H01L21/31612
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,269,566
App. No.
14/661,970
Granted
Feb 23, 2016
Kind
B2
Abstract

A substrate processing apparatus capable of forming an oxide film on a substrate by forming a layer on the substrate by supplying a source gas into a process vessel accommodating the substrate via the first nozzle, and simultaneously supplying an oxygen-containing gas through a second nozzle and a hydrogen-containing gas through a first nozzle into the process vessel having an inside pressure thereof lower than atmospheric pressure; mixing and reacting the oxygen-containing gas with the hydrogen-containing gas in a non-plasma atmosphere within the process vessel to generate atomic oxygen; and oxidizing the layer with the atomic oxygen to change the layer into an oxide layer is disclosed.

Claims (39)

1. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, the method comprising:

forming an oxide film on a substrate by alternately repeating:

(a) forming an element-containing layer on the substrate by supplying a source gas containing an element into a process vessel accommodating the substrate through a first nozzle; and

(b) changing the element-containing layer to an oxide layer by: simultaneously supplying an oxygen-containing gas through a second nozzle and a hydrogen-containing gas through a third nozzle into the process vessel having an inside pressure lower than atmospheric pressure; mixing and reacting the oxygen-containing gas with the hydrogen-containing gas in a non-plasma atmosphere within the process vessel to generate an atomic oxygen; and oxidizing the element-containing layer by the atomic oxygen;

wherein:

the (a) and the (b) are performed while heating the substrate, an inside of the process vessel, an inside of the first nozzle, an inside of the second nozzle and an inside of the third nozzle to a temperature equal to a film-forming temperature, and

the first nozzle, the second nozzle and the third nozzle differ from one another.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the temperature is a self-decomposing temperature of the source gas.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the (a) comprises forming the element-containing layer having a thickness of several atomic layers on the substrate by supplying the source gas into the process vessel accommodating the substrate under a condition where the source gas is self-decomposed.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the temperature is a temperature where the source gas is not self-decomposed.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the (a) comprises forming the element-containing layer having a thickness of less than one atomic layer on the substrate by supplying the source gas into the process vessel accommodating the substrate under a condition where the source gas is not self-decomposed.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the (a) comprises forming a discontinuous element-containing layer on the substrate by supplying the source gas into the process vessel accommodating the substrate under a condition where the source gas is not self-decomposed.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the oxygen-containing gas comprises oxygen gas or ozone gas and the hydrogen-containing gas comprises hydrogen gas or deuterium gas.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the element comprises a semiconductor element or a metal element.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the element comprises silicon.

10. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, the method comprising:

forming a silicon oxide film on a substrate by alternately repeating:

(a) forming a silicon layer on the substrate by supplying a source gas containing silicon into a process vessel accommodating the substrate through a first nozzle; and

(b) changing the silicon layer to a silicon oxide layer by: simultaneously supplying an oxygen-containing gas through a second nozzle and a hydrogen-containing gas through a third nozzle into the process vessel having an inside pressure lower than atmospheric pressure; mixing and reacting the oxygen-containing gas with the hydrogen-containing gas in a non-plasma atmosphere within the process vessel to generate an atomic oxygen; and oxidizing the silicon layer by the atomic oxygen,

wherein:

the (a) and the (b) are performed while heating the substrate, an inside of the process vessel, an inside of the first nozzle, an inside of the second nozzle and an inside of the third nozzle to a temperature equal to a film-forming temperature, and

the first nozzle, the second nozzle and the third nozzle differ from one another.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the element-containing layer comprises a Si—Si bond and at least one selected from a group consisting of a Si—Cl bond, a Si—N bond, a Si—H bond and a Si—C bond, and the (b) comprises supplying the element-containing layer with an energy capable of breaking the Si—Cl bond, the Si—N bond, the Si—H bond and the Si—C bond without breaking the Si—Si bond.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the element-containing layer comprises a Si—Si bond and a Si—Cl bond, and the (b) comprises supplying the element-containing layer with an energy capable of breaking the Si—Cl bond without breaking the Si—Si bond.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the element-containing layer comprises a Si—Si bond, a Si—H bond and a Si—Cl bond, and the (b) comprises supplying the element-containing layer with an energy capable of breaking the Si—H bond and the Si—Cl bond without breaking the Si—Si bond.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the element-containing layer comprises a Si—Si bond, a Si—N bond and a Si—H bond, and the (b) comprises supplying the element-containing layer with an energy capable of breaking the Si—N bond and the Si—H bond without breaking the Si—Si bond.

15. A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

a process vessel configured to accommodate a substrate;

a heater configured to heat the substrate accommodated in the process vessel;

a source gas supply system configured to supply a source gas containing an element into the process vessel via a first nozzle;

an oxygen-containing gas supply system configured to supply an oxygen-containing gas into the process vessel through a second nozzle;

a hydrogen-containing gas supply system configured to supply a hydrogen-containing gas into the process vessel through a third nozzle;

a pressure regulation unit configured to regulate an inside pressure of the process vessel; and

a controller configured to control the heater, the source gas supply system, the oxygen-containing gas supply system, the hydrogen-containing gas supply system and the pressure regulation unit to form an oxide film on the substrate by alternately repeating:

(a) forming an element-containing layer on the substrate by supplying the source gas into the process vessel accommodating the substrate through the first nozzle; and

(b) changing the element-containing layer to an oxide layer by: simultaneously supplying the oxygen-containing gas through the second nozzle and the hydrogen-containing gas through the third nozzle into the process vessel having an inside pressure lower than atmospheric pressure; mixing and reacting the oxygen-containing gas with the hydrogen-containing gas in a non-plasma atmosphere within the process vessel to generate an atomic oxygen; and oxidizing the element-containing layer by the atomic oxygen;

wherein:

the (a) and the (b) are performed while heating the substrate, an inside of the process vessel, an inside of the first nozzle, an inside of the second nozzle and an inside of the third nozzle to a temperature equal to a film-forming temperature, and

the first nozzle, the second nozzle and the third nozzle differ from one another.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 31, 2018
From: HITACHI KOKUSAI ELECTRIC INC.
To: KOKUSAI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 047995/0490 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 18, 2015
From: AKAE, NAONORI; HIROSE, YOSHIRO; TAKASAWA, YUSHIN; OTA, YOSUKE
To: HITACHI KOKUSAI ELECTRIC INC.
Reel/Frame 035196/0043 →
Priority Claims (2)
JP 2008-278089 · Oct 29, 2008 · national
JP 2009-178309 · Jul 30, 2009 · national
Continuity (4)
Continuation 14329355 · Jul 11, 2014
Continuation 13666272 · Nov 1, 2012
Continuation 12607223 · Oct 28, 2009
Related Publication 20150194302A1 · Jul 9, 2015