阅读说明：本技术 基板处理装置、半导体器件的制造方法以及记录介质 (Substrate processing apparatus, method for manufacturing semiconductor device, and recording medium ) 是由 中田高行 谷山智志 白子贤治 于 2017-01-24 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明提供一种使基板处理装置小型化的基板处理装置、半导体器件的制造方法以及记录介质,该基板处理装置具备：移载室,其将基板移载到基板保持件上；上部气体供给机构,其从第1气体供给口向移载室的上部区域供给气体；和下部气体供给机构,其设置在上部气体供给机构的下方,并从第2气体供给口向移载室的下部区域供给气体,上部气体供给机构具有：第1缓冲室,其形成在第1气体供给口的背面；上部管道,其与第1缓冲室相邻地形成；和第1供给部,其设置在上部管道的下端,下部气体供给机构具有：第2缓冲室,其形成在第2气体供给口的背面；下部管道,其与第2缓冲室相邻地形成；和第2供给部,其设置在下部管道的下端。(The present invention provides a substrate processing apparatus for miniaturizing the substrate processing apparatus, a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, and a recording medium, the substrate processing apparatus comprising: a transfer chamber for transferring the substrate to the substrate holder; an upper gas supply mechanism for supplying gas from the 1 st gas supply port to the upper region of the transfer chamber; and a lower gas supply mechanism which is arranged below the upper gas supply mechanism and supplies gas from the 2 nd gas supply port to the lower region of the transfer chamber, wherein the upper gas supply mechanism comprises: a 1 st buffer chamber formed on the back of the 1 st gas supply port; an upper duct formed adjacent to the 1 st buffer chamber; and a 1 st supply part provided at a lower end of the upper duct, the lower gas supply mechanism including: a 2 nd buffer chamber formed on the back of the 2 nd gas supply port; a lower duct formed adjacent to the 2 nd buffer chamber; and a 2 nd supply part provided at a lower end of the lower duct.)

1. A substrate processing apparatus is characterized by comprising:

a transfer chamber for transferring the substrate to the substrate holder;

an upper gas supply mechanism for supplying gas from a 1 st gas supply port to an upper region of the transfer chamber; and

a lower gas supply mechanism which is arranged below the upper gas supply mechanism and supplies gas from a 2 nd gas supply port to a lower region of the transfer chamber,

the upper gas supply mechanism includes:

a 1 st buffer chamber formed on the back of the 1 st gas supply port;

an upper duct formed adjacent to the 1 st buffer chamber; and

a 1 st supply part provided at a lower end of the upper duct,

the lower gas supply mechanism includes:

a 2 nd buffer chamber formed on the back of the 2 nd gas supply port;

a lower duct formed adjacent to the 2 nd buffer chamber; and

a 2 nd supply part provided at a lower end of the lower duct.

2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the upper duct is formed on a side surface of the first buffer chamber.

3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the upper duct is formed on a side surface of the lower gas supply mechanism.

4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the upper duct extends from an upper end of the 1 st buffer chamber to a position of a lower end of the upper duct along a side surface of the lower gas supply mechanism.

5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a plurality of the 1 st supply parts are provided at a lower end of the upper duct so as to correspond to the upper duct.

6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the upper duct is formed so that a cross-sectional area thereof is gradually reduced in an upward direction.

7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a side exhaust unit is further formed on the opposite side of the upper gas supply mechanism,

the side exhaust part is provided above an upper region of the transfer chamber and below the upper region of the transfer chamber.

8. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the 1 st buffer chamber is larger than the 2 nd buffer chamber.

9. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the lower duct is formed in a funnel shape in a front view.

10. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a bottom surface exhaust portion is provided on a bottom surface of the lower gas supply mechanism so as to exhaust the ambient gas in the lower region in a downward direction.

11. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the bottom surface exhaust portion is provided at a portion where gas deposition is likely to occur.

12. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a panel having a plurality of holes is provided in at least one of the 1 st gas supply port and the 2 nd gas supply port.

13. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the panel has:

a 3 rd gas supply port formed on the entire surface of the panel; and

and a 3 rd buffer chamber formed on a rear surface of the 3 rd gas supply port.

14. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the 3 rd gas supply port is larger than the 1 st gas supply port.

15. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising:

transferring the substrate to the substrate holder in the transfer chamber; and

a step of processing the substrate held by the substrate holder in a processing chamber,

in the transfer step, a gas is supplied from an upper gas supply mechanism to an upper region in the transfer chamber, and a gas is supplied from a lower gas supply mechanism to a lower region in the transfer chamber, wherein the upper gas supply mechanism includes: a 1 st buffer chamber formed on the back of the 1 st gas supply port; an upper duct formed adjacent to the 1 st buffer chamber; and a 1 st supply part provided at a lower end of the upper duct, the lower gas supply mechanism being provided below the upper gas supply mechanism and having: a 2 nd buffer chamber formed on the back of the 2 nd gas supply port; a lower duct formed adjacent to the 2 nd buffer chamber; and a 2 nd supply part provided at a lower end of the lower duct.

16. A recording medium having recorded thereon a program to be executed by a substrate processing apparatus via a computer in an execution mode including:

transferring a substrate to a substrate holder in a transfer chamber of the substrate processing apparatus; and

a step of processing the substrate held by the substrate holder in a processing chamber,

in the transfer step, a gas is supplied from an upper gas supply mechanism to an upper region in the transfer chamber, and a gas is supplied from a lower gas supply mechanism to a lower region in the transfer chamber, wherein the upper gas supply mechanism includes: a 1 st buffer chamber formed on the back of the 1 st gas supply port; an upper duct formed adjacent to the 1 st buffer chamber; and a 1 st supply part provided at a lower end of the upper duct, the lower gas supply mechanism being provided below the upper gas supply mechanism and having: a 2 nd buffer chamber formed on the back of the 2 nd gas supply port; a lower duct formed adjacent to the 2 nd buffer chamber; and a 2 nd supply part provided at a lower end of the lower duct.

Technical Field

The invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus, a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, and a recording medium.

Background

In general, a vertical substrate processing apparatus used in a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device is provided with a transfer chamber for loading and unloading a wafer into and from a substrate holder below a processing chamber for processing the wafer. The transfer chamber is provided with a cleaning unit along one side wall. Clean air is blown out from the cleaning unit into the transfer chamber, thereby forming an air flow in the transfer chamber (see, for example, patent document 1).

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to provide a technology capable of miniaturizing a substrate processing device.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus including:

a transfer chamber for transferring the substrate to the substrate holder;

an upper gas supply mechanism for supplying gas from a 1 st gas supply port to an upper region in the transfer chamber; and

a lower gas supply mechanism which is provided adjacent to a lower portion of the upper gas supply mechanism and supplies gas from a 2 nd gas supply port to a lower region in the transfer chamber,

the upper gas supply mechanism includes:

a 1 st buffer chamber formed on the back of the 1 st gas supply port;

a 1 st duct having a pair of side surfaces of the 1 st buffer chamber; and

a 1 st air supply part arranged at the lower end of the 1 st pipeline,

the lower gas supply mechanism includes:

a 2 nd buffer chamber formed on the back of the 2 nd gas supply port;

a 2 nd pipe formed on a lower surface of the 2 nd buffer chamber; and

and a 2 nd air blowing part arranged at the lower end of the 2 nd pipeline.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, including:

transferring the substrate to the substrate holder in the transfer chamber; and

a step of processing the substrate held by the substrate holder in a processing chamber,

in the transfer step, a gas is supplied from an upper gas supply mechanism to an upper region in the transfer chamber, and a gas is supplied from a lower gas supply mechanism to a lower region in the transfer chamber, wherein the upper gas supply mechanism includes: a 1 st buffer chamber formed on the back of the 1 st gas supply port; a pair of 1 st pipes formed on both side surfaces of the 1 st buffer chamber; and a pair of 1 st air blowing parts provided at a lower end of the 1 st duct, the lower air supply mechanism including: a 2 nd buffer chamber formed on the back of the 2 nd gas supply port; a 2 nd pipe formed on a lower surface of the 2 nd buffer chamber; and a 2 nd blowing part provided at a lower end of the 2 nd duct, and provided adjacent to a lower side of the upper air supply mechanism.

Effects of the invention

According to the present invention, the substrate processing apparatus can be miniaturized.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a schematic configuration of a substrate processing apparatus applied to one embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view showing a configuration example of a processing furnace used in a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of a transfer chamber of a substrate processing apparatus applied to embodiment 1 of the present invention and an air flow.

Fig. 4 is a plan view showing a configuration example of a gas supply mechanism of a transfer chamber of a substrate processing apparatus applied to embodiment 1 of the present invention, and (b) is a side view showing a configuration example of the gas supply mechanism.

Fig. 5 is a schematic sectional view of a-a in fig. 3.

FIG. 6 is a schematic sectional view of c-c of FIG. 3.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a cleaning unit applied to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

In fig. 8, (a) is a schematic diagram for explaining the airflow of the 1 st cleaning unit, and (b) is a schematic diagram for explaining the airflow of the 2 nd cleaning unit.

Fig. 9 is a diagram for explaining the wind direction plate.

Fig. 10 is a view of the cleaning unit provided with a wind direction plate.

Fig. 11 is a diagram for explaining a conventional configuration.

Description of the reference numerals

10 substrate processing apparatus

14 wafer (base plate)

30 boat (base plate holder)

50 move and carry room

52a upper cleaning unit

52b lower cleaning unit

56a, 56b blower

90a, 90b, 90c, 90d, 90f conduits

Detailed Description

< one embodiment of the present invention >

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described mainly with reference to fig. 1 to 2.

(1) Structure of substrate processing apparatus

As shown in fig. 1, the substrate processing apparatus 10 includes a casing 12 in which main parts such as a processing furnace 40 are arranged. A container table (pod stage)18 is disposed on the front side of the casing 12. The container table 18 transfers a wafer cassette (container) 16 as a substrate storage tool for storing wafers (substrates) 14 to and from an external transport device (not shown).

A container transfer device 20, a container rack 22, and a container opener 24 are disposed on the front side in the box body 12 at a position facing the container table 18. The container transfer device 20 is configured to transfer the containers 16 between the container table 18, the container rack 22, and the container opener 24. The container holder 22 has a plurality of shelf plates, and holds the containers 16 in a state where a plurality of containers are placed.

A substrate transfer chamber 80 and a transfer chamber 50 are formed adjacent to each other on the rear surface side of the container opener 24 in the casing 12. The transfer chamber 50 will be described in detail later.

A substrate transfer unit 28 as a substrate transfer mechanism is disposed in the substrate transfer chamber 80. A boat 30 as a substrate holder is disposed in the transfer chamber 50.

The substrate transfer unit 28 has an arm (tweezers) 32 capable of taking out the wafer 14, and is configured to transport the wafer 14 between the container 16 placed on the container opener 24 and the boat 30 by rotating the arm 32 vertically.

The boat 30 is configured to hold a plurality of wafers 14 (e.g., about 25 to 150 wafers) in a horizontal posture in a plurality of stages in the vertical direction. An adiabatic part 75 is provided under the boat 30. The heat insulating portion 75 is made of a heat-resistant material having a heat insulating effect, such as quartz or SiC, and is constituted by, for example, an insulating plate 74. Note that, instead of providing the heat insulating plate 74, a heat insulating tube configured as a tubular member may be used as the heat insulating portion 75. The boat 30 and the heat insulating plate 75 are configured to be lifted and lowered by a boat lift 34 as a lifting mechanism.

The processing furnace 40 is disposed at an upper portion of the rear surface side in the casing 12, i.e., at a side above the transfer chamber 50. The boat 30 is fed into the processing furnace 40 from below.

A wafer transfer inlet 51 communicating with the inside of the processing chamber 42 described later is provided in the ceiling portion of the transfer chamber 50 in such a shape and size that the boat 30 can pass through.

(treatment furnace)

As shown in fig. 2, the treatment furnace 40 includes a reaction tube 41 having a substantially cylindrical shape. The reaction tube 41 is made of, for example, quartz (SiO)₂) Or a heat-resistant non-metallic material such as silicon carbide (SiC), and has a shape in which the upper end is closed and the lower end is open.

A process chamber 42 is formed inside the reaction tube 41. The boat 30 housed in the processing chamber 42 can be rotated in a state where a plurality of wafers 14 are mounted by rotating the rotation shaft 44 by the rotation mechanism 43.

A manifold 45 is disposed below the reaction tube 41 in a concentric manner with the reaction tube 41. The manifold 45 is cylindrical and made of a metal material such as stainless steel. The reaction tube 41 is supported in the longitudinal direction from the lower end side by the manifold 45. The lower end portion of the manifold 45 is configured to be hermetically sealed by a seal cover 46 or a baffle plate 64. A sealing member 46a such as an O-ring for hermetically sealing the inside of the processing chamber 42 is provided on the upper surfaces of the sealing cover 46 and the baffle plate 64. A gas introduction pipe 47 for introducing a process gas, a purge gas, or the like into the process chamber 42 and an exhaust pipe 48 for exhausting the gas in the process chamber 42 are connected to the manifold 45, respectively.

The gas introduction pipe 47 is provided with a Mass Flow Controller (MFC) which is a flow rate controller (flow rate control unit) for controlling the flow rate of the process gas, and a valve which is an opening/closing valve, in this order from the upstream side. A nozzle is connected to the tip of the gas introduction pipe 47, and a process gas is supplied into the process chamber 42 through the MFC, the valve, and the nozzle.

The exhaust pipe 48 is connected to a vacuum pump as a vacuum exhaust device via a Pressure sensor as a Pressure detector (Pressure detecting unit) for detecting the Pressure in the processing chamber 42 and an APC (automatic Pressure Controller) valve as a Pressure regulator (Pressure adjusting unit).

A heating unit 49 as a heating means (heating means) is disposed concentrically with the reaction tube 41 on the outer periphery of the reaction tube 41.

A temperature sensor as a temperature detector is provided in the reaction tube 41. The temperature inside the processing chamber 42 is set to a desired temperature distribution by adjusting the energization to the heating unit 49 based on the temperature information detected by the temperature sensor.

The rotation mechanism 43, the boat elevator 34, the MFC, the valve, the APC valve, and the gas supply mechanism are connected to a controller 121 for controlling them. The controller 121 is constituted by, for example, a microprocessor (computer) provided with a CPU, and controls the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 10. The controller 121 is connected to an input/output device 122 configured as a touch panel or the like, for example.

The controller 121 is connected to a storage unit 123 as a recording medium. The storage unit 123 stores a control program for controlling the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 10 and a program (also referred to as a process) for causing each component of the substrate processing apparatus 10 to execute a process in accordance with a process condition so as to be readable.

The storage unit 123 may be a storage device (a hard disk and a flash memory) built in the controller 121, or may be a portable external recording device (a magnetic tape, a magnetic disk such as a flexible disk and a hard disk, an optical disk such as a CD and a DVD, an optical magnetic disk such as an MO, a semiconductor memory such as a USB memory and a memory card). The program can be provided to the computer by using a communication device such as the internet or a dedicated line. The substrate processing apparatus 10 executes a desired process under the control of the controller 121 by reading a program from the storage unit 123 as necessary in accordance with an instruction from the input/output device 122 or the like and executing the process in accordance with the read process by the controller 121.

(2) Substrate processing procedure

Next, a process (film forming process) of forming a film on a substrate by using the substrate processing apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, which is a single step of manufacturing a semiconductor device, will be described. Here, DCS (SiH) gas as a raw material gas is supplied to the wafer 14₂Cl₂: dichlorosilane) gas, and O as a reaction gas₂(oxygen) gas to form silicon oxide (SiO) on wafer 14₂) Examples of the film are illustrated. In the following description, the operations of the respective units constituting the substrate processing apparatus 10 are controlled by the controller 121.

The substrate transfer unit 28 takes out the wafer 14 from the container 16 and transfers the wafer into the boat 30 (wafer loading). At this time, gas is supplied into the transfer chamber 50 from a gas supply mechanism described later.

(feeding step)

Next, the shutter 64 that closes the wafer carrying port 51 in the lower portion of the processing chamber 42 is retracted into the housing portion 65 that houses the shutter 64, and the wafer carrying port 51 of the processing chamber 42 is opened. Subsequently, the boat 30 is lifted by the boat lift and is loaded from the transfer chamber 50 into the processing chamber 42 (boat loading). Thereby, the seal cap 46 is in a state of sealing the lower end of the manifold 45 via the seal member 46 a.

(treatment Process)

The inside of the processing chamber 42 is evacuated using the exhaust pipe 48, so that the inside of the processing chamber 42 becomes a desired pressure (vacuum degree). Then, the inside of the processing chamber 42 is heated by the heating unit 49, and the boat 30 is rotated by operating the rotation mechanism 43. Further, DCS gas and O are supplied into the processing chamber 42 through the gas inlet pipe 47₂A gas. Thereby, SiO is formed on the surface of the wafer 14₂And (3) a membrane.

After the film formation process, an inert gas is supplied into the processing chamber 42, so that the pressure in the processing chamber 42 is returned to the normal pressure by replacing the inert gas in the processing chamber 42.

(delivery step)

The sealing cover 46 is lowered by the boat elevator 34 to open the lower end of the manifold 45, and the boat 30 is carried out of the processing chamber 42 from the lower end of the manifold 45 (boat unloading). Thereafter, the wafer transfer inlet/outlet 51 of the processing chamber 42 is closed by the shutter 64. The gas is supplied from the gas supply mechanism into the transfer chamber 50, and the boat 30 is kept standing by at a predetermined position in the transfer chamber 50 until the wafers 14 supported by the boat 30 are cooled.

(transferring step)

When the wafers 14 in the boat 30 waiting for the transfer are cooled to a predetermined temperature (for example, about room temperature), the wafers 14 are taken out from the boat 30 by the substrate transfer unit 28 and transferred into the container 16 (wafer take-out). At this time, the gas supply mechanism continues to supply gas into the transfer chamber 50.

In this way, the series of processing operations in the substrate processing step performed by the substrate processing apparatus 10 of the present embodiment is completed.

(3) Structure of transfer chamber

Next, the structure of the transfer chamber 50 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 3 to 6.

(transfer room)

As shown in fig. 3, the transfer chamber 50 is formed in a planar quadrilateral shape with a top, a bottom, and side walls surrounding the periphery. However, the shape is not necessarily limited to a planar quadrangle, and may be a planar polygon (for example, a planar triangle, a planar pentagon, or the like). Further, the transfer chamber 50 may be in an atmospheric environment without forming a load lock chamber, a nitrogen purge tank, or the like.

In a state where the boat 30 is standing by in the transfer chamber 50, a substrate region where the wafer 14 (boat 30) is located is defined as an upper region 60, and a heat insulating portion region where the heat insulating portion 75 is located is defined as a lower region 61.

(gas supply mechanism)

A cleaning unit (gas supply mechanism) is provided on one side surface of the transfer chamber 50. The cleaning unit is vertically divided into an upper cleaning unit (upper gas supply mechanism) 52a and a lower cleaning unit (lower gas supply mechanism) 52b inside the cleaning unit. The upper cleaning unit 52a and the lower cleaning unit 52b are disposed vertically adjacent to each other. In addition, a 1 st circulation path 81 and a 2 nd circulation path 82, which will be described later, are formed in the space around the transfer chamber 50.

The upper cleaning unit 52a is configured to supply gas to an upper region 60, which is an upper space in the transfer chamber 50. The lower cleaning unit 52b is configured to supply gas to a lower region 61 which is a lower space in the transfer chamber 50.

In the present embodiment, the inert gas is used as the gas for cleaning the air, but the external atmosphere may be used as the gas. Even if the external atmosphere is used, the external atmosphere can be made to be a clean atmosphere (clean air) by passing the external atmosphere through filters 59a and 59b described later. In addition, the case where the term gas supply mechanism is used in this specification includes a case where only the upper cleaning unit 52a is included, a case where only the lower cleaning unit 52b is included, or both cases.

(Upper cleaning unit)

As shown in fig. 4 (a), the upper cleaning unit 52a is composed of the following components in order from the upstream side: a blower 56a as a 1 st blower serving as a blowing unit; a part of the gas path, i.e., a pipe 90c as a 1 st pipe; a diffusion space of the gas, i.e., a buffer area 58a as a 1 st buffer chamber; a filter portion 59 a; and a gas supply port 67 a. Here, the blower 56a is provided in plural, for example, two. The duct 90c is a gas path for allowing the gas blown from the blower 56a to flow from the side surface of the buffer 58a into the buffer 58 a. Here, two ducts 90c are formed so as to correspond to the pair of blowers 56 a. The buffer 58a is a diffusion space communicating with the duct 90c and for uniformly supplying gas to the upper region 60. The filter portion 59a is configured to remove particles contained in the gas.

As shown in fig. 4 (a) and (b), the duct 90c is configured to supply gas into the buffer 58a from both the left and right sides of the buffer 58a, along the space extending in the vertical direction to the upper end of the upper cleaning unit 52 a. By supplying gas from both side surfaces of the buffer 58a in this manner, uneven supply of gas in the buffer 58a can be prevented. Further, a blower 56a is provided at a lower end portion of the upper cleaning unit 52 a. The duct 90c is configured such that the sectional area gradually decreases upward and is fixed upward from a predetermined position (a boundary position between the buffer 58a and the buffer 58 b). With this configuration, the flow rate of the gas can be increased at the portion where the cross-sectional area is fixed (the side portion of the buffer 58 a), and the gas can be sent up to the buffer 58a (the upper end of the 1 st duct 90 c), so that a sufficient amount of gas can be supplied to the upper portion.

(lower cleaning unit)

The lower cleaning unit 52b is composed of the following components in order from the upstream side: a blower 56b as a 2 nd blower as a blower unit for blowing gas; a duct 90e as a 2 nd duct that is a gas path through which the gas blown from the blower 56b flows to the buffer 58b as the 2 nd buffer chamber; a buffer 58b as a diffusion space communicating with the duct 90e and supplying gas uniformly to the lower region 61; a filter section 59b for removing particles contained in the gas; and a gas supply port 67b for blowing the gas having passed through the filter unit 59b toward the lower region 61. The duct 90e is a space formed in the lower surface of the buffer 58b, and is configured to supply gas from the lower surface side of the buffer 58b into the buffer 58 b. The 2 nd duct 90e is formed in a funnel shape at an angle of a longitudinal section. That is, the cross-sectional area is formed so as to gradually increase as the blower 56b approaches the bottom surface (communicating portion) of the 2 nd buffer chamber 58 b. The blower 56b is provided at the lower end portion of the lower cleaning unit 52b so as to be adjacent to and sandwiched between the two blowers 56a of the upper cleaning unit 52 a. In other words, the two blowers 56a of the upper cleaning unit 52a are provided one on each side of the blower 56b of the lower cleaning unit 52 b.

In this way, the gas supply means is configured to be divided vertically at the boundary portion between the upper region 60 and the lower region 61, and to have independent gas paths. The buffer 58a as the 1 st buffer chamber is larger than the buffer 58b as the 2 nd buffer chamber. With this configuration, different gas flows can be formed in the upper region 60 and the lower region 61, or gas can be supplied at different flow rates and flow velocities. Here, the filter portions 59a and 59b are formed of two layers of chemical (chemical) and PTFE, for example.

(exhaust part)

As shown in fig. 3, a side exhaust part is provided at the opposite side of the upper cleaning unit 52 a. The side exhaust unit is mainly constituted by an upper exhaust port 53a as a 1 st exhaust port and a lower exhaust port 53b as a 2 nd exhaust port, which will be described later. It is also conceivable to include the exhaust duct 90a, the 1 st radiator 100a, the exhaust duct 90b, and the 2 nd radiator 100b in the side exhaust unit. The gas supplied from the upper cleaning unit 52a to the upper region 60 cools and purges the upper region 60, and is discharged from the exhaust ports 53a and 53 b.

The exhaust port 53a is provided above the upper region 60 in one side surface opposite to the upper cleaning unit 52a across the boat 30. In the present embodiment, the boat elevator 34 is provided to extend in the vertical direction on one side surface on which the exhaust port 53a is provided. The gas discharged from the 1 st exhaust port 53a flows through the duct 90 a. The duct 90a is narrowed at the position of the 2 nd exhaust port 53 b. In the duct 90a, the gas passes through the radiator 100a to be cooled, and passes through the side portion of the 2 nd exhaust port 53b to be sent to the lower portion of the transfer chamber 50.

The exhaust port 53b is provided below the upper region 60 in one side surface opposite to the upper cleaning unit 52a across the boat 30. The gas discharged from the gas discharge port 53b flows through the duct 90 b. In the duct 90b, the gas passes through the radiator 100b to be cooled, and joins the gas discharged from the duct 90a at the lower portion of the transfer chamber 50. The merged gas is further merged with a gas discharged from the lower region 61 described later. By providing the two exhaust ports 53a and 53b in the upper region 60 in this manner, the gas supplied to the upper region 60 can be rapidly exhausted.

Next, the exhaust of the lower region 61 will be described. As shown in fig. 6, the bottom venting portion 68 is provided on the front and rear bottom surfaces of the boat 30 in a plan view. The bottom surface exhaust portion 68 is mainly constituted by a front side exhaust port (3 rd exhaust port) 68a and a rear side exhaust port (4 th exhaust port) 68 b. The exhaust ports 68a and 68b are formed in a rectangular shape along the corners of the bottom surface of the transfer chamber. The gas supplied from the lower cleaning unit 52b to the lower region 61 cools and purges the lower region 61, and is discharged from the exhaust portion 68. The gas discharged from the exhaust unit 68 flows through the duct 90f, is cooled by the 3 rd radiator 100c and the 4 th radiator 100d provided in the duct 90f, that is, below the front exhaust port 68a and the rear exhaust port 68b, and is discharged to the lower portion of the transfer chamber 50. The gas discharged from the lower area 61 joins the gas discharged from the upper area 60 through the ducts 90a and 90b at the lower portion of the transfer chamber 50. The merged gas is cooled again by the 5 th radiator 100 e. Thereafter, the gas is sent to the upper cleaning unit 52a and the lower cleaning unit 52b, and is supplied again to the upper region 60 and the lower region 61.

(circulation route)

The gas discharged from the transfer chamber 50 is supplied again into the transfer chamber 50 through a 1 st circulation path 81 indicated by a solid arrow and a 2 nd circulation path 82 indicated by a broken arrow. The 1 st circulation path 81 is a gas path for supplying the gas discharged from the upper area 60 through the gas discharge ports 53a and 53b from the upper cleaning unit 52a to the upper area 60 again. The 2 nd circulation path 82 is a gas path for supplying the gas discharged from the lower area 61 through the front side gas outlet 68a and the rear side gas outlet 68b to the lower area 61 again from the lower cleaning unit 52 b. The case where the word circulation path is used in this specification includes a case where only the 1 st circulation path 81 is included, a case where only the 2 nd circulation path 82 is included, or both of them.

The 1 st circulation path 81 is mainly constituted by the pipes 90a, 90b, 90c, 90 d. The duct 90a is a path that communicates the exhaust port 53a with the duct 90d, and a radiator 100a is provided therein. The duct 90b is a path that communicates the exhaust port 53b with the duct 90d, and a radiator 100b is provided therein. It is also conceivable that the 1 st circulation path 81 includes the upper cleaning unit 52a and the side exhaust unit.

The 2 nd circulation path 82 is mainly constituted by the pipes 90f and 90 e. The duct 90f is a path that communicates the exhaust ports 68a and 68b with the duct 90d, and has the radiators 100c and 100d provided therein. The duct 90d is a space formed below the lower surface of the transfer chamber 50. It is also contemplated that the lower cleaning unit 52b and the bottom surface air discharge unit 68 may be incorporated into the 2 nd circulation path 82.

In the duct 90d, the 1 st circulation path 81 and the 2 nd circulation path 82 temporarily join. That is, each path is configured such that a part of the path occupies the same path (merged path). That is, the duct 90d is configured to communicate the ducts 90a and 90b with the cleaning units 52a and 52 b. The 2 nd circulation path 82 is formed with a gas path independent of the 1 st circulation path 81 at a portion other than the duct 90 d. The total path length of the 2 nd circulation path 82 is shorter than that of the 1 st circulation path 81.

As shown in fig. 3, a radiator 100e, which is a cooling means for cooling the gas, is disposed in the duct 90 d. Two blowers 56a and 56b are arranged in parallel at the communicating portion between the duct 90d and the cleaning units 52a and 52b, that is, at the end of the duct 90d and the lower end of the cleaning units 52a and 52 b. By adjusting the output of the blowers 56a, 56b, the flow rate and flow velocity of the gas supplied to each cleaning unit can be adjusted.

A gas damper, not shown, is provided in the gas path of the 1 st circulation path 81 and the 2 nd circulation path 82. The gas damper can adjust the flow rate of the gas flowing through the 1 st circulation path 81 and the 2 nd circulation path 82. For example, the gas damper is configured by a known flow rate adjusting mechanism such as a butterfly valve or a needle mechanism. The gas damper preferably has a function of automatically controlling flow rate adjustment, and is capable of performing coordinated control with the blowers 56a and 56 b.

Comparative example

Here, a conventional transfer chamber structure as a comparative example will be described with reference to fig. 11.

In a conventional general cleaning unit, a blower 200 is provided on the back of a filter 201. A conventional and usual transfer chamber is configured such that such a cleaning unit is disposed on a side surface of the transfer chamber and a circulation path is disposed at a lower portion of the transfer chamber. In the case of such a configuration, a large space may be occupied on the side surface of the transfer chamber in order to dispose the cleaning unit. Therefore, the miniaturization of the device may be hindered. Further, since the suction direction of the blower is directed toward the wall portion, the pressure loss may be increased, and the performance of the cleaning unit may be reduced.

In contrast, the cleaning unit according to the present invention has a structure in which the filter is disposed in the upper portion and the blower is disposed in the lower portion. This allows the cleaning unit to be disposed on the side surface of the transfer chamber in a space-saving manner as compared with the conventional one. Further, by making the suction direction of the blower orthogonal to the blowing direction, the performance of the cleaning unit can be improved while suppressing pressure loss.

(air flow)

Next, the air flow in the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to fig. 3. In the figure, solid arrows indicate the airflow in the upper region 60, and broken arrows indicate the airflow in the lower region 61.

First, the airflow in the 1 st circulation path 81, i.e., the upper region 60, will be described. The gas supplied from the supply port 67a of the cleaning unit 52a to the upper region 60 flows in a direction horizontal (parallel) to the substrate. The gas that has cooled the wafer 14 is discharged from the exhaust ports 53a and 53b, and flows downward in the pipes 90a and 90 b. Next, the flow direction changes from downward to a horizontal direction at the communication portion between the ducts 90a and 90b and the duct 90d, and the air flows horizontally in the duct 90d in the direction of the blower 56a provided with the cleaning unit 52 a. Thereafter, the gas is blown upward by the blower 56a in the two ducts 90c so as to flow upward in the vertical direction in the ducts 90 c. Thereafter, the gas diffuses into the buffer area 58a from both side surfaces of the buffer area 58a, and is supplied to the upper area 60 again.

Next, the airflow in the 2 nd circulation path 82, i.e., the lower region 61, will be described. The gas supplied from the supply port 57b of the cleaning unit 52b to the lower region 61 flows downward in the space between the heat insulating portion 75 and the transfer chamber side surface. The gas cooled in the heat insulating part 75 is discharged downward from the gas outlets 68a and 68b, flows downward in the duct 90f, and joins the gas flowing through the 1 st circulation path. Thereafter, the gas is blown upward in the duct 90e by the blower 56b, thereby flowing upward in the vertical direction in the duct 90 e. Thereafter, the gas diffuses from the duct 90e and the lower surface of the buffer 58b into the buffer 58b, and is supplied again to the lower region 61.

(exhaust part of baffle)

As shown in fig. 5, a side surface of the housing unit 65 is provided with an exhaust port 76 for discharging the gas supplied to the housing unit 65, and a 3 rd circulation path 83 is formed with respect to the housing unit 65. The 3 rd circulation path 83 is configured to discharge the gas supplied to the vicinity of the wafer conveyance inlet 51 and the inside of the housing unit 65 from the exhaust port 76, and forms a gas flow passing through a region above the upper region 60. Here, the 3 rd circulation path 83 uses a part of the path of the 1 st circulation path, that is, a solid arrow. That is, the 3 rd circulating path 83 is branched from the 1 st circulating path.

The housing section 65 is configured to purge the periphery of the wafer transfer inlet 51 and the inside of the housing section 65 by extracting the gas supplied to the upper region from the exhaust port 76. The storage portion 65 is formed at the upper end of the side surface of the transfer chamber 50 so as to protrude outward from the transfer chamber 50. In the present embodiment, the housing section 65 has a shape in which one corner of a polygon (rectangle) is bent in a plan view, and a straight portion and a bent portion are formed on one side surface of the housing section 65. The exhaust port 76 is formed by a plurality of exhaust ports 16 formed along the straight line portion and the curved portion. The plurality of exhaust ports 76 are formed in the same number in the linear portion and the bent portion, and two exhaust ports are formed. The exhaust port 76 of the curved portion is formed so as to be biased in a direction connecting to the linear portion. That is, the curved portion is configured to provide the exhaust port 76 at a position distant from the exhaust port 53 a.

The circulation path 83 for circulating the exhaust gas in the storage unit 65 is constituted by ducts 90a, 90c, and 90 g. The duct 90g is a space communicating with the duct 90a and formed on the back of the exhaust port 76. The pipe 90a passes through the same path as the 1 st circulation path downstream.

The balance of the air flow rates between the air flow rates of the upper cleaning unit 52a and the lower cleaning unit 52b and the total air flow rate of the gas passing through the exhaust ports 53a and 53b and the heat sinks 100c and 100e is preferably equal to each other, but the wafer temperature may be determined appropriately since it varies depending on the process contents in the process chamber 42.

(Effect of the present embodiment)

According to the present embodiment, one or more effects described below are obtained.

(a) Since the blower is not provided on the back surface of the filter but provided below the filter (lower end portion of the gas supply mechanism), the casing of the gas supply mechanism can be reduced in size, and the space occupied by the entire substrate processing apparatus can be reduced.

(b) By providing the air blowing unit at the lower end of the cleaning unit, the suction direction of the air blowing unit can be directed toward the inside of the transfer chamber, and therefore, the pressure loss and stagnation of the air flow in the circulation path can be reduced. Further, the air blowing unit can be kept away from the heat inside the transfer chamber, and therefore the life of the air blowing unit can be extended. In addition, the air blowing section and the filter can be maintained from the front side of the cleaning unit. This facilitates maintenance and shortens the time required for maintenance, thereby improving productivity.

(c) By providing the radiator near the exhaust port of each circulation path, the gas heated in the transfer chamber can be quickly cooled, and therefore, the airflow in the circulation path can be smoothly formed, and the occurrence of gas stagnation can be suppressed.

(d) Since the gas passing through each of the circulation paths passes through the two radiators, the gas heated in the transfer chamber can be sufficiently cooled. This can reduce the difference in gas temperature due to the circulation path. Further, the temperature of the gas can be suppressed from being uneven when the gas is resupplied into the transfer chamber, and the transfer chamber can be uniformly cooled.

(e) The upper region can be efficiently purged by forming the exhaust portion of the upper region at two positions in the vertical direction. The exhaust part formed at the upper part of the upper area can quickly exhaust hot air of ascending airflow generated by gas heated after cooling the substrate and particles from the furnace mouth part. In addition, the exhaust part formed at the lower part of the upper region can rapidly exhaust the gas heated after cooling the substrate and the particles from the driving part of the boat elevator.

(f) By forming the exhaust portion of the lower region at two positions in the front and rear direction, the ambient gas in the lower region, which becomes a high-temperature ambient gas compared with the upper region, can be forcibly exhausted downward, and generation of an updraft from the lower region can be suppressed. In addition, the heat of the heat insulating portion having a high heat capacity can be suppressed from flowing to the substrate region, and the substrate cooling time can be shortened. Further, since the particles are prevented from being entrained by the hot updraft, the particles are prevented from adhering to the substrate. Further, by forming the exhaust portion in a rectangular shape (horizontally long) along the bottom surface corner portion where stagnation of gas is likely to occur, the bottom surface corner portion can be rapidly exhausted.

(g) The exhaust portion of the upper region is formed on a side surface facing the gas supply mechanism, and the exhaust portion of the lower region is provided at the bottom of the transfer chamber, whereby a lateral flow can be formed in the upper region and a direct flow can be formed in the lower region.

(h) By forming the circulation path in the lower region to have a shorter total path than the circulation path in the upper region, the circulation period of the gas supplied to the lower region can be shortened, and the cooling efficiency of the heat insulating part can be improved.

(i) By setting the total exhaust air volume by each exhaust unit to an air volume balance equal to the total supply air volume by the gas supply mechanism, the airflow can be formed with good balance.

(j) By adjusting the outputs of the blower of the upper cleaning unit and the blower of the lower cleaning unit, the flow rates of the gas supplied from the respective gas supply mechanisms can be adjusted.

(embodiment 2)

Next, embodiment 2 will be explained.

As shown in fig. 9 and 10, by providing the wind direction portion 57 on the front side of the cleaning unit 52, the gas supply range can be expanded as compared with embodiment 1 (fig. 7 and 8). The wind direction portion 57 is internally constituted by a buffer 58c as the 3 rd buffer, a communication portion 69 communicating with the cleaning unit 52, a center panel 57a as a panel of the gas supply port, and a side panel 57 c. The center panel 57a has substantially the same height as the supply port 67a of the upper cleaning unit 52a and substantially the same width as the transfer chamber 50. The side panels 57c are provided so as to sandwich both sides of the center panel 57 a. Here, the width of the center panel 57a is substantially the same as the width of the supply port 67a, and the width of the side panel 57c is substantially the same as the width of the duct 90 c. The center panel 57a and the side panels 57c are each formed with a plurality of holes, and are formed of, for example, punched panels. The gas supplied from the cleaning unit is diffused in the buffer 58c and supplied into the transfer chamber 50 through the plurality of openings.

The gas is directly supplied from the supply port of the cleaning unit 52 toward the center panel 57 a. Thus, by adjusting the opening ratio of the center panel 57a, the amount of gas supplied from the center panel 57a can be adjusted to be smaller than the amount of gas supplied from the supply port of the cleaning unit 52. This makes it possible to easily diffuse the gas into the buffer 58 c. In addition, the opening ratio of the plurality of openings of the wind direction portion 57 is higher in the side plate 57b than in the center plate 57a, and thus gas diffusion in the buffer 58c in the direction of the side plate 57b can be promoted. Further, the air supply volume from the wind direction portion 57 can be made uniform throughout the supply port.

In the above description, the wind direction portion 57 is provided in front of both the upper cleaning unit 52a and the lower cleaning unit 52b, but the wind direction portion 57 may be provided in at least one of the upper cleaning unit 52a and the lower cleaning unit 52 b. The wind direction portion 57 may have a surface area at least larger than the filter surface of the cleaning unit 52 (preferably the same width as the wafer 14, and more preferably substantially the same width as the transfer chamber 50). The aperture ratio of the panel of the wind direction portion provided in the upper cleaning unit 52a may be different from the aperture ratio of the panel of the wind direction portion provided in the lower cleaning unit. The width of the panel of the wind direction portion provided in the upper cleaning unit 52a may be different from the width of the panel 57 provided in the lower cleaning unit. Further, the area of the center panel 57a of the wind direction portion provided in the upper cleaning unit 52a may be smaller than the area of the center panel 57b of the wind direction portion provided in the lower cleaning unit 52 b.

Effects of the present embodiment

According to the present embodiment, one or more effects described below are obtained.

(a) By providing the wind direction portion, the area of the gas supply port (gas blowing area) can be expanded, and gas can be easily supplied to each corner in the transfer chamber.

(b) By forming the buffer chamber in the wind direction portion, even if the gas supply port of the wind direction portion has a larger area than the gas supply port of the gas supply mechanism, the gas can be supplied from the entire gas supply port of the wind direction portion because the primary gas can be diffused in the buffer chamber.

(c) By forming the gas supply port by a punched plate and changing the aperture ratio in a portion facing the gas supply port of the gas supply mechanism and in other portions (expanded portions), the supply flow rate (air volume) can be secured even in the expanded portions, and the gas can be supplied from the entire gas supply port at the same flow rate (air volume).

< other embodiment of the present invention >

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described.

It is needless to say that the present invention can be carried out by being variously modified in addition to the above-described embodiments without departing from the gist thereof.