IP Library Patent Application 15923796
Patent Application
App. No. 15/923,796

GAS SUPPLY SYSTEM, SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS, AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US None
App. No.
15/923,796
Abstract

A gas supply system for improving concentration uniformity of a process gas supplied to substrates arrayed in a longitudinal direction includes first and second gas supply tubes that supply process gas from respective upper ends, and configured to supply the process gas for processing substrates to a process chamber that accommodates a plurality of the substrates arrayed in a longitudinal direction, wherein L 1 is configured to be longer than L 2 and S 1 is configured to be smaller than S 2, when the length of the first gas supply tube facing a substrate arrangement region where the substrates are arranged is L 1, the flow path sectional area of the first gas supply tube is S 1, the length of the second gas supply tube facing the substrate arrangement region is L 2, and the flow path sectional area of the second gas supply tube is S 2.

Claims (12)

1 . A gas supply system comprising: a first gas supply tube and a second gas supply tube that supply process gases of a same kind at a same mass flow rate from respective upper ends, and configured to supply the process gas for processing a plurality of substrates to a process chamber that accommodates the plurality of substrates arrayed in a longitudinal direction via the first gas supply tube and the second gas supply tube, wherein L 1 is configured to be longer than L 2 and S 1 is configured to be smaller than S 2 , when a length of the first gas supply tube facing a substrate arrangement region where the plurality of substrates is arranged is L 1 , a flow path sectional area of the first gas supply tube is S 1 , a length of the second gas supply tube facing the substrate arrangement region is L 2 , and a flow path sectional area of the second gas supply tube is S 2 .

2 . The gas supply system according to claim 1 , further comprising: a buffer chamber that accommodates the first gas supply tube and the second gas supply tube, and includes a plurality of openings communicating with the process chamber, wherein the process gases supplied from the first gas supply tube and the second gas supply tube are configured to be supplied to the process chamber through the plurality of openings.

3 . The gas supply system according to claim 2 , wherein the plurality of openings is provided in positions facing the substrate arrangement region, and flow velocities of the gases to be supplied to the process chamber through the plurality of openings are configured to be the same.

4 . The gas supply system according to claim 3 , wherein a first time during which the gas flows in an interior of the first gas supply tube facing the substrates and a second time during which the gas flows in an interior of the second gas supply tube facing the substrates are configured to be the same.

5 . A substrate processing apparatus comprising: a process chamber that accommodates a plurality of substrates arrayed in a longitudinal direction; a gas supply system including a first gas supply tube and a second gas supply tube that supply process gases for processing the plurality of substrates from respective upper ends to the process chamber; and a control section configured to control a flow rate of the process gas to be supplied to the process chamber via the gas supply system , wherein, in the gas supply system , L 1 is configured to be longer than L 2 and S 1 is configured to be smaller than S 2 , when a length of the first gas supply tube facing a substrate arrangement region where the plurality of substrates is arranged is L 1 , a flow path sectional area of the first gas supply tube is S 1 , a length of the second gas supply tube facing the substrate arrangement region is L 2 , and a flow path sectional area of the second gas supply tube is S 2 , and the control section controls the process gases to be supplied to the first gas supply tube and to the second gas supply tube to be of a same kind at a same mass flow rate.

6 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5 , further comprising: a buffer chamber that accommodates the first gas supply tube and the second gas supply tube, and includes a plurality of openings communicating with the process chamber, wherein the process gases supplied from the first gas supply tube and the second gas supply tube are configured to be supplied to the process chamber through the plurality of openings.

7 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein, when a pressure in the process chamber is a second predetermined pressure or more and less than a first predetermined pressure, the flow path sectional area of the first gas supply tube and the flow path sectional area of the second gas supply tube are configured to be the same.

8 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein, when a pressure in the process chamber is a first predetermined pressure or more, the gas supplier is configured to have the flow path sectional area of the first gas supply tube smaller than the flow path sectional area of the second gas supply tube.

9 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein, when a pressure in the process chamber is less than a second predetermined pressure, the gas supplier is configured to have the flow path sectional area of the first gas supply tube larger than the flow path sectional area of the second gas supply tube.

10 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5 , further comprising: a heating section configured to heat the substrate arrangement region, wherein precursor gases in interiors of the first gas supply tube and the second gas supply tube are decomposed by the heating section and generated as the process gases that contribute to substrate processing, and concentrations of the process gases when the process gases are supplied through the plurality of openings to the process chamber are configured to be the same in an up and down direction of the substrate arrangement region.

11 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the substrate arrangement region is separated into a substrate processing region and bare wafer regions where patterned substrates are arranged, and the upper ends of the first gas supply tube and the second gas supply tube are configured to be arranged at positions facing the bare wafer regions.

12 . A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, the method comprising: supplying process gases of a same kind at a same mass flow rate for processing a plurality of substrates arrayed in a longitudinal direction from respective upper ends of a first gas supply tube and a second gas supply tube to the substrate arrangement region to process the plurality of substrates, wherein L 1 is configured to be longer than L 2 and S 1 is configured to be smaller than S 2 , when a length of the first gas supply tube facing a substrate arrangement region in which the plurality of substrates is arranged is L 1 , a flow path sectional area is S 1 , a length of the second gas supply tube facing the substrate arrangement region is L 2 , and a flow path sectional area is S 2 .

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 31, 2018
From: HITACHI KOKUSAI ELECTRIC INC.
To: KOKUSAI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 047995/0462 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 19, 2018
From: SASAKI, TAKAFUMI; KAMIMURA, DAIGI; YOSHIDA, HIDENARI
To: HITACHI KOKUSAI ELECTRIC INC.
Reel/Frame 045265/0419 →