Patent ID: 7171973
Filing Date: 2007-02-06
Classification: C03C,H01L,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A substrate processing apparatus comprising: a substrate support member that supports a substrate; an enclosure structure enclosing the substrate support member, and provided with an opening; a shutter adapted to move vertically between a raised position where the shutter closes the opening to define a closed processing space together with the enclosure structure, and a lowered position where the shutter does not close the opening to allow the substrate to be transferred to and from the substrate support member through the opening; a top-plate adapted to move in the processing space between a first position where the top-plate is close to an upper face of the substrate supported by the substrate support member and a second position where the top-plate is remote from the upper face of the substrate supported by the substrate support member, wherein the enclosure structure has a top wall arranged above the top plate and wherein when the top-plate is located at the first position, a space between the top-plate and the substrate held by the substrate support member and a space between the top wall of the enclosure structure and the top-plate communicate with each other through a space around a periphery of the top-plate; an inert gas supply port directed toward an upper surface of the top-plate to supply a space between the top wall of the enclosure structure and the upper surface of the top-plate with an inert gas; and an exhaust pipe adapted to discharge a gas in the processing space from a bottom portion of the processing space.