Patent ID: 7481902
Filing Date: 2009-01-27
Classification: B08B,C23C,F16K,H01L

Abstract:
1. A substrate processing method in a substrate processing apparatus, said substrate processing apparatus comprising: a processing vessel provided with a stage for holding a substrate to be processed thereon, said processing vessel being evacuated at an evacuation port; and a processing gas supplying system supplying a processing gas to said processing vessel in the form of a laminar flow along a surface of said substrate to be processed, said evacuation port having an evacuation opening extending in a direction generally perpendicular to a direction of said laminar flow, said evacuation port being engaged with a valve having a hollow cylindrical member formed with an opening corresponding to said evacuation opening of said evacuation port wherein said valve has a rotation mechanism that causes a rotation of said hollow cylindrical member, said rotation mechanism changes a position of said opening via said rotation of said hollow cylindrical member for controlling a conductance of said evacuation port when said substrate processing apparatus is carrying out processing of a substrate, said rotation mechanism causing said hollow cylindrical member to rotate continuously when said substrate processing apparatus is in an idling state, said substrate processing method comprising the steps of: setting said opening to a first position by rotating said hollow cylindrical member with a first rotational angle and evacuating an interior of said processing vessel from said evacuation port; and setting said opening to a second position by rotating said hollow cylindrical member with a second rotational angle smaller than said first rotational angle and supplying a processing gas to said processing vessel from said processing gas supplying system.