Patent Publication Number: US-2021193503-A1

Title: Substrate processing apparatus and stage

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-228332, filed on Dec. 18, 2019, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a stage. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Patent Document 1 discloses a substrate processing apparatus that prevents the uniformity of substrate processing from being adversely affected by circulation of a process gas or the like when a substrate is processed at a high temperature. This substrate processing apparatus has a susceptor, an elevating driving device, a plurality of substrate support pins, and a movement blocking member. The susceptor is horizontally arranged and supports the substrate so as to be placed on its upper surface. The elevating driving device elevates and drives the susceptor between a first position for supporting the substrate and a second position for waiting for support of the substrate, the second position being lower than the first position. The substrate support pins are supported so as to be vertically movable with respect to the susceptor, and supports the substrate when the susceptor is positioned at the second position. The movement blocking member blocks the substrate support pins from moving downward when the susceptor is moved from the first position to the second position. Pin insertion holes for inserting the substrate support pins are formed in the susceptor, and the diameter of the upper end of the substrate support pins is set larger than the diameter of the pin insertion holes. Thus, the substrate support pins are supported so as to be vertically movable with respect to the susceptor. In addition, a recess for accommodating the upper end of the substrate support pins having a large diameter is formed at the upper end of the pin insertion holes of the susceptor. 
     Prior Art Documents 
     [Patent Documents] 
     Patent Document 1: Japanese laid-open publication No. H11-111821 
     SUMMARY 
     According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate, including: a stage including a through-hole vertically penetrating the stage, the substrate being placed on an upper surface of the stage, and at least one of heating and cooling being performed on the substrate; a substrate support pin inserted into the through-hole; and a support member configured to support the substrate support pin, wherein the substrate support pin has a protrusion configured to protrude from the upper surface of the stage through the through-hole of the stage, and a large diameter portion located below the protrusion and formed thicker than the protrusion, and the stage further includes a lateral hole formed to extend from a side surface of the stage so as to intersect with the through-hole, and wherein the support member is inserted into the lateral hole, the support member is configured to support the substrate support pin by an engagement with the large diameter portion of the substrate support pin while the support member is inserted into the lateral hole of the stage, and an upper opening end of the through-hole of the stage is thinner than the large diameter portion of the substrate support pin. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure, and together with the general description given above and the detailed description of the embodiments given below, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 1  is an explanatory view schematically illustrating an outline of a configuration of a film forming apparatus as a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, in which a portion of the film forming apparatus is shown in cross section. 
         FIG. 2  is a partial enlarged view of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is an enlarged plan view of a leading end of a support member. 
         FIG. 4  is an enlarged view of neighborhood of a through-hole of a stage. 
         FIG. 5  is a partial enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating an internal state of the film forming apparatus in  FIG. 1  during water processing. 
         FIG. 6  is a partial enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating an internal state of the film forming apparatus in  FIG. 1  during wafer processing. 
         FIG. 7  is a partial enlarged plan view illustrating another example of the support member. 
         FIG. 8  is a partial enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating another example of a support structure of a lift pin. 
         FIG. 9  is an enlarged plan view of a leading end of a support member forming a portion of the support structure of  FIG. 8 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the present disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, systems, and components have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the various embodiments. 
     For example, in manufacturing processes of a semiconductor device, substrate processing such as a film forming process is performed on a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter, referred to as a “wafer”). This substrate processing is performed using a substrate processing apparatus. When the substrate processing apparatus is a single-wafer-type substrate processing apparatus capable of processing substrates one by one, a stage on which the substrates are placed on its upper surface is provided in the apparatus. Further, in the single-wafer-type substrate processing apparatus, substrate support pins to be inserted into holes formed in the stage are provided in order to transfer the substrates between a substrate transfer device for transferring the substrates and the stage. For example, the substrate support pins are fixed to the bottom wall of a process vessel accommodating the substrates, and the stage is configured to be vertically movable. With this configuration, since the substrate support pins can vertically move relative to the stage, the substrates can be transferred between the substrate transfer device and the stage. 
     During the substrate processing, the substrates placed on the stage may be heated or cooled through the stage. In this case, when the substrate support pins are fixed to the bottom wall of the process vessel as described above, a positional deviation occurs between the holes of the stage and the substrate supporting pins due to thermal expansion and contraction of the stage. If the positional deviation occurs, the substrate support pins may be damaged when the substrate support pins and the stage are moved up and down relative to each other to transfer the substrates. Therefore, in Patent Document 1, the substrate support pins are supported so as to be vertically movable with respect to the susceptor by setting the diameter of the upper end of the substrate support pins larger than the diameter of the pin insertion holes of the susceptor without fixing the substrate support pins to the bottom wall of the process vessel. 
     However, if the diameter of the upper end of the substrate support pins is set larger, a recess whose diameter is larger than the upper end is required to be provided on the upper surface of the stage in order to accommodate the upper end. If such a recess is provided, in-plane uniformity of the temperature of the substrates on the stage is impaired. 
     Therefore, the technique according to the present disclosure improves the in-plane uniformity of the temperature of the substrates when the substrates placed on the stage having through-holes into which the substrate support pins are inserted to be penetrated are heated or cooled on the stage. 
     A substrate processing apparatus and a substrate transfer method according to the present embodiment will now be described with reference to the drawings. Further, in the present disclosure and the drawings, elements having substantially like functional components are denoted by like reference numerals and a repeated description thereof will be omitted. 
       FIG. 1  is an explanatory view schematically illustrating an outline of a configuration of a film forming apparatus as the substrate processing apparatus according to the present embodiment, in which a portion of the film forming apparatus is shown in cross section. The film forming apparatus  1  in  FIG. 1  has a process vessel  10  configured to be depressurized and accommodating a water W as a substrate. 
     The process vessel  10  has a vessel body  10   a  having a bottomed cylindrical shape. A loading/unloading port  11  for the wafer W is provided on a sidewall of the vessel body  10   a , and a gate valve  12  for opening and closing the loading/unloading port  11  is provided in the loading/unloading port  11 . An exhaust duct  60  as described later, which forms a portion of the sidewall of the vessel body  10   a , is provided on an upper side of the loading/unloading port  11 . An opening  10   b  is provided in the upper portion of the vessel body  10   a , specifically, in the exhaust duct  60 , and a lid  13  is provided so as to close the opening  10   b . An O-ring  14  for keeping the interior of the process vessel  10  airtight is provided between the exhaust duct  60  and the lid  13 . 
     A stage  20  on which the wafer W is horizontally placed on its upper surface is provided in the process vessel  10 . A heater pattern  21  as a temperature adjustment mechanism is formed inside the stage  20 . The heater pattern  21  serves to heat the water W. Furthermore, when the wafer W is cooled on the stage  20 , a cooling mechanism having, for example, a flow passage for a cooling medium, instead of the heater pattern  21 , is provided as the temperature adjustment mechanism. Both the heater pattern  21  and the cooling mechanism may be provided inside the stage  20  such that both the heating and cooling of the wafer W can be performed. A cover member  22  is provided in the stage  20  so as to cover a region on the outer peripheral side of the placing region of the wafer W on the upper surface and its side peripheral surface in the circumferential direction. 
     An upper end of a support shaft member  23 , which is a table support member vertically extending through the opening  15  formed through the bottom wall of the process vessel  10  and penetrating the bottom wall, is connected to the center of the lower surface of the stage  20 . A lower end of the support shaft member  23  is connected to the driving mechanism  24 . The driving mechanism  24  generates a driving force for moving the support shaft member  23  up and down and rotating the same, and has, for example, an air cylinder (not shown) or a motor (not shown). As the support shaft member  23  moves up and down by the driving of the driving mechanism  24 , the stage  20  can move up and down between a transfer position indicated by a chain double-dashed line and a processine position above it. The aforementioned transfer position refers to a position at which the stage  20  stands by while the wafer W is transferred between a wafer transfer device M (see  FIG. 5 ) as a substrate transfer device that enters the process vessel  10  from the loading/unloading port  11  of the process vessel  10  and lift pins  30  as described later. In addition, the aforementioned processing position refers to a position at which the film forming process is performed on the wafer W. Furthermore, as the support shaft member  23  rotates about its axis by driving the driving mechanism  24 , the stage  20  rotates about the axis. 
     In addition, a flange  25  having a diameter larger than that of the support shaft member  23  is provided outside the process vessel  10  in the support shaft member  23 . Furthermore, a bellows  26  is provided between the flange  25  and the penetrating portion of the support shaft member  23  in the bottom wall of the process vessel  10  so as to surround the outer peripheral portion of the support shaft member  23 . Thus, the airtightness of the process vessel  10  is maintained. 
     In addition, a plurality of through-holes  20   a  vertically penetrating are formed in the stage  20 . Furthermore, the lift pins  30  as the substrate support pins inserted into the through-holes  20   a  to be penetrated from below are provided in the stage  20 . The lift pins  30  serve to transfer the wafer W between the wafer transfer device M (see  FIG. 5 ) inserted into the process vessel  10  from the outside of the process vessel  10  and the stage  20 . The lift pins  30  are configured to protrude from the upper surface of the stage  20  at the aforementioned transfer position through the through-holes  20   a . Furthermore, the lift pins  30  are provided for the respective through-holes  20   a . The shape of the lift pins  30 , the support structure of the lift pins  30 , and the structure for raising and lowering the lift pins  30  will be described later. 
     In addition, a cap member  40  for forming a processing space S is provided so as to face the stage  20  between the stage  20  and the lid  13  in the process vessel  10 . The cap member  40  is fixed by the lid  13  and a bolt (not shown). An inverted bowl-shaped recess  41  is formed at the lower portion of the cap member  40 . A flat rim  42  is formed outside the recess  41 . Furthermore, the processing space S is formed by the upper surface of the stage  20  located at the aforementioned processing position and the recess  41  of the cap member  40 . The height of the stage  20  when the processing space S is formed is set such that a gap  43  is formed between the lower surface of the rim  42  of the cap member  40  and the upper surface of the cover member  22 . For example, the recess  41  is formed so that the volume of the processing space S is minimized and gas substitutability when the processing gas is substituted by a purge gas is improved. 
     A gas introduction passage  44  for introducing a processing gas or a purge gas into the processing space S is formed at the center of the cap member  40 . The gas introduction passage  44  is provided to penetrate the center of the cap member  40  so that the lower end thereof faces the center of the wafer W on the stage  20 . In addition, a flow passage forming member  40   a  is fitted in the center of the cap member  40 . The upper side of the gas introduction passage  44  is branched by the flow passage forming member  40   a  to communicate with the gas introduction passage  45  penetrating the lid  13 . A dispersion plate  46  for dispersing a gas discharged from the gas introduction passage  44  into the processing space S is provided below the lower end of the gas introduction passage  44  of the cap member  40 . The dispersion plate  46  is fixed to the cap member  40  through a support rod  46   a.    
     A gas introduction mechanism  50  configured to introduce a TiCl 4  gas, an NH 3  gas, a N 2  gas for purging, or the like as the processing gas into the process vessel  10  from a gas supply source (not shown) is provided in the gas introduction passage  45 . An O-ring (not shown) for keeping the interior of the process vessel  10  airtight is provided between the gas introduction mechanism  50  and the process vessel  10 , specifically, between the gas introduction mechanism  50  and the lid  13 . 
     Furthermore, one end of an exhaust pipe  61  is connected to the exhaust duct  60  of the vessel body  10   a . The other end of the exhaust pipe  61  is connected to an exhaust device  62  configured by, for example, a vacuum pump. In addition, an APC valve  63  for adjusting the internal pressure of the processing space S is provided in the exhaust pipe  61  at the upstream side of the exhaust device  62 . 
     Furthermore, the exhaust duct  60  is formed by annularly forming a gas passage  64  having a square vertical cross section shape. A slit  65  is formed over the whole circumference on the inner peripheral surface of the exhaust duct  60 . An exhaust port  66  is provided on an outer wall of the exhaust duct  60 , and the exhaust pipe  61  is connected to the exhaust port  66 . The slit  65  is formed at a position corresponding to the aforementioned gap  43  formed when the stage  20  rises to the aforementioned processing position. Therefore, the gas in the processing space S reaches the gas passage  64  of the exhaust duct  60  through the gap  43  and the slit  65  by activating the exhaust device  62  and is discharged through the exhaust pipe  61 . 
     A controller U is provided in the film forming apparatus  1  configured as described above. The controller U is configured as a computer including, for example, a CPU, a memory and the like, and has a program storage part (not shown). A program for realizing wafer processing, which will be described later, in the film forming apparatus  1 , or the like is stored in the program storage part. The program has been stored in a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium and may be provided in the controller U from the storage medium. Furthermore, a portion or all of the program may be realized by a dedicated hardware (circuit board). 
     Next, the shape of the lift pins  30 , the support structure of the lift pins  30 , and the structure for raising and lowering the lift pins  30  will be described with reference to  FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 .  FIG. 2  is a partial enlarged view of  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 3  is an enlarged plan view of a leading end of a support member  70  as described later. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the lift pin  30  has a protrusion  31  configured to protrude from the upper surface of the stage  20  through the through-hole  20   a  of the stage  20 , and a large diameter portion  32  located below the protrusion  31  and formed thicker than the protrusion  31 . The large diameter portion  32  is formed thicker than the nearby-portions of the large diameter portion  32 , in other words, is formed in a flange shape. The large diameter portion  32  is formed at the substantially center of the lift pin  30 . Furthermore, the lift pin  30  has a contact portion  33  below the large diameter portion  32 , specifically, at the lower end of the pin. The contact portion  33  is formed thicker than the large diameter portion  32 , and is brought into contact with a pin movement mechanism  100  as described later. In addition, in the lift pin  30 , the large diameter portion  32  and the contact portion  33  are connected by a connection portion  34 , and the thickness of the connection portion  34  is substantially equal to that of the protrusion  31 . Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the protrusion  31 , the large diameter portion  32 , the contact portion  33 , and the connection portion  34  are all formed in a circular shape in cross section. 
     The lift pin  30  having the aforementioned respective parts is inserted into the through-hole  20   a  of the stage  20  from below, at least at a portion above a portion at which the large diameter portion  32  is formed. Therefore, a lower opening end  20   b  of the through-hole  20   a  is formed thicker than the large diameter portion  32  of the lift pin  30 . On the other hand, an upper opening end  20   c  of the through-hole  20   a  is formed thinner than the large diameter portion  32  of the lift pin  30 . Hereinafter, a portion of the upper portion of the through-hole  20   a  formed thinner than the large diameter portion  32  of the lift pin  30  will be referred to as a small-diameter portion  20   a   1 . In addition, the through-hole  20   a  is formed thicker than the large diameter portion  32  of the lift pin  30 , except for the small-diameter portion  20   a   1  described above, so that the protrusion  31  of the lift pin  30  can protrude or retracted above/below the upper surface of the stage  20  by vertical movement of the lift pin  30 . 
     The support member  70  is provided inside the stage  20  in order to support the lift pin  30  inserted into the through-hole  20   a . Specifically, a lateral hole  20   d  is formed in the stage  20  to horizontally extend from the side surface of the stage  20  so as to intersect with the through-hole  20   a , and the support member  70  is inserted into the lateral hole  20   d . The lateral hole  20   d  is provided for each through-hole  20   a . An opening end of the lateral hole  20   d  is covered with the cover member  22 . 
     The support member  70  supports the lift pin  30  by engagement with the large diameter portion  32  of the lift pin  30  while it is inserted into the lateral hole  20   d  of the stage  20 . Specifically, the support member  70  suspends the lift pin  30  by contact engagement between the upper surface of the leading end of the support member  70  and the lower surface of the large diameter portion  32  of the lift pin  30  while it is inserted into the lateral hole  20   d  of the stage  20 . The support member  70  suspends the lift pin  30  as described above at least while the stage  20  is moved to the aforementioned processing position. 
     While the stage  20  is in the processing position, namely while the lift pin  30  is suspended by the support member  70 , the formation position of the lateral hole  20   d  in the height direction and the length of the protrusion  31  of the lift pin  30  are set so as to satisfy the following condition A: 
     (A) The upper end surface of the protrusion  31  of the lift pin  30  does not protrude from the upper surface of the stage  20  (for example, the upper end surface of the protrusion  31  is located 0.1 to 0.3 mm below the upper surface of the stage  20 ). 
     Furthermore, as illustrated in  FIG. 3 , a notch  71  is formed at the leading end of the support member  70 , and a U-shaped engagement portion  72  in which the lift pin  30  is engaged with the notch  71  is formed. The notch  71  is cut in the insertion direction of the support member  70  into the lateral hole  20   d  of the stage  20 . A width W 1  of the notch  71  is smaller than a diameter R 1  of the large diameter portion  32  of the lift pin  30  and larger than a diameter R 2  of the connection portion  34  of the lift pin  30 . Therefore, when the support member  70  is inserted to the inner side of the lateral hole  20   d  of the stage  20 , the insertion is not hindered by the lift pin  30  in the through-hole  20   a , and the lift pin  30  can be supported by the substantially entire engagement portion  72  of the support member  70 . 
     The lift pin  30  and the support member  70  described above are made of, for example, alumina or aluminum nitride. 
     In addition, as illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the pin movement mechanism  100  configured to support the lift pin  30  and to vertically move the supported lift pin  30  is provided for the lift pin  30 . The pin movement mechanism  100  is provided between the stage  20  and the bottom wall of the process vessel  10 . 
     The pin movement mechanism  100  supports the lift pin  30  by engagement with the lift pin  30 . Specifically, the pin movement mechanism  100  has a contact member  101 , and supports the lift pin  30  by bringing the lower end surface of the contact portion  33  of the lift pin  30  that is not inserted into the through-hole  20   a  of the stage  20  into contact with the upper surface of the contact member  101 . The contact member  101  is formed of, for example, an annular member in plan view. 
     A support pillar  102  is provided on the lower surface side of the contact member  101 , and the support pillar  102 , which penetrates the bottom wall of the process vessel  10 , is connected to a driving mechanism  104  provided outside the process vessel  10 . The driving mechanism  104  generates a driving force for moving the support pillar  102  up and down, and has, for example, an air cylinder (not shown). As the support pillar  102  moves up and down by the driving of the driving mechanism  104 , the contact member  101  moves up and down, whereby the lift pin  30  supported by the contact member  101  moves up and down independent of the stage  20 . In particular, the lift pin  30  moves upward as the support pillar  102  moves upward by the driving of the driving mechanism  104 , and the upper end of the lift pin  30  protrudes from the upper surface of the stage  20  having moved to the aforementioned transfer position. 
     In addition, a bellows  103  is provided between the driving mechanism  104  and the penetration portion of the support pillar  102  on the bottom wall of the process vessel  10  so as to surround the outer peripheral portion of the support pillar  102 . Thus, the airtightness of the process vessel  10  is maintained. 
     In the present disclosure, the dimensions of the stage  20  and the lift pin  30  will be described. If the diameter of the wafer W is 300 mm, the diameter of the stage  20  is, for example, 330 mm to 350 mm, and the through-hole  20   a  is formed at a position of 20 to 40 mm from the peripheral end of the stage  20 . The upper opening end  20   c  of the through-hole  20   a  is formed thinner than the large diameter portion  32  of the lift pin  30  as described above. Specifically, for example, the diameter of the protrusion  31  of the lift pin  30  is 1 to 3 mm and the diameter of the large diameter portion  32  is twice or more it, while the inner diameter of the upper opening end  20   c  of the through-hole  20   a  is set to 1.2 to 1.5 times the diameter of the protrusion  31 , for example, 1.2 to 4.5 mm. As the inner diameter of the opening end  20   c  is set smaller, the in-plane uniformity of the temperature of the wafer W on the stage  20  can be improved. Furthermore, the inner diameter of the lower opening end  20   b  of the through-hole  20   a  is, for example, 7 to 10 mm. 
     The dimensions of the stage  20  and the lift pin  30  will be further described with reference to  FIG. 4 .  FIG. 4  is an enlarged view of neighborhood of the through-hole  20   a  of the stage  20 . When the thickness of the stage  20  is 15 to 25 mm, the formation position of the lateral hole  20   d , or the like is for example as follows. However, they are not limited thereto depending on the formation position of the heater pattern  21 , or the like. 
     Thickness T 1  of the small-diameter portion  20   a   1  of the through-hole  20   a  of the stage  20 : 1.5 to 2.5 mm 
     Distance L 1  from the small-diameter portion  20   a   1  to the lateral hole  20   d  in the stage  20 : 8 to 12 mm 
     Height H 1  of the lateral hole  20   d  of the stage  20 : 2 to 4 mm 
     Length L 2  of the protrusion  31  of the lift pin  30 : 8 to 13 mm 
     Length L 3  of the large diameter portion  32  of the lift pin  30 : 1.5 to 2.5 mm 
     Thickness T 2  of the support member  70 : 1.5 to 2.5 mm 
     The aforementioned dimension is used for the thickness T 1  of the small-diameter portion  20   a   1  of the through-hole  20   a  of the stage  20  in terms of strength. Furthermore, the distance between the peripheral end surface of the stage  20  at the processing position and the inner wall surface of the process vessel  10  is, for example, 100 to 150 mm. 
     Next, wafer processing performed using the film forming apparatus  1  will be described. This will be described with reference to  FIGS. 1 and 2  and  FIGS. 5 and 6 .  FIGS. 5 and 6  are partial enlarged cross-sectional views illustrating an internal state of the film forming apparatus  1  during the wafer processing. 
     First, the gate valve  12  is opened, and the wafer W is loaded into the process vessel  10  from a transfer chamber (not shown) in a vacuum atmosphere adjacent to the process vessel  10  via the loading/unloading port  11 . The loading of the wafer W is performed by the wafer transfer device M, as illustrated in  FIG. 5 . The loaded water W is transferred to above the stage  20  moved to the aforementioned standby position. Then, the lift pin  30  suspended by the engagement between the leading end of the support member  70  and the large diameter portion  32  of the lift pin  30  is raised by the pin movement mechanism  100 . Thus, as illustrated in  FIG. 6 , the suspension of the lift pin  30  by the support member  70  is released, and the lift pin  30  protrudes from the upper surface of the stage  20  by a predetermined distance and the wafer W is transferred onto the lift pin  30 . In order to increase the amount of protrusion of the lift pin  30  at this time, the lateral hole  20   d  may be provided in the lower side of the stage  20  as much as possible. 
     After the wafer W is transferred onto the lift pin  30 , the wafer transfer device M is unloaded from the process vessel  10  and the gate valve  12  is closed. At the same time, the lowering of the lift pin  30  by the pin movement mechanism  100  and the raising of the stage  20  by the driving mechanism  24  are performed. Thus, the support of the lift pin  30  by the pin movement mechanism  100  is released, and as illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the lift pin  30  is again suspended by the support member  70  and the upper end of the lift pin  30  is received in the through-hole  20   a  of the stage  20 , which does not protrude from the upper surface, and the wafer W is placed on the stage  20 . Then, the interior of the process vessel  10  is adjusted to a predetermined pressure and the stage  20  is moved to the processing position by the driving mechanism  24  to form the processing space S. 
     In this state, a N 2  gas as a purge gas is supplied to the processing space S via the gas introduction mechanism  50 , and a TiCl 4  gas and an NH 3  gas are alternately and intermittently supplied thereto to form a TiN film on the wafer W by an ALD method. During the film formation, the wafer W is heated on the stage  20  such that the temperature of the wafer W (specifically, the temperature of the stage  20 ) reaches, for example, 300 to 600 degrees C. 
     After the formation of the TiN film by the ALD method as described above is completed, the stage  20  on which the wafer W is placed is lowered to the transfer position. Then, the lift pin  30  is raised by the pin movement mechanism  100 . Thus, the suspension of the lift pin  30  by the support member  70  is released, the lift pin  30  protrudes from the upper surface of the stage  20  by a predetermined distance, and the wafer W is transferred onto the lift pin  30 . Thereafter, the gate valve  12  is opened, and the wafer transfer device M which does not hold the wafer W is inserted into the process vessel  10  via the loading/unloading port  11 . The wafer transfer device M is inserted between the wafer W held by the lift pin  30  and the stage  20  at the transfer position. Then, the lift pin  30  is lowered by the pin movement mechanism  100 . Thus, the wafer W on the lift pin  30  is transferred to the wafer transfer device M. Then, the wafer transfer device M is unloaded from the process vessel  10  and the gate valve  12  is closed. Consequently, a series of wafer processing is completed. Thereafter, the aforementioned series of wafer processing is performed on another wafer W. 
     Next, an example of how to provide the lift pin  30  will be described. For example, first, the lift pins  30  are inserted into the respective through-holes  20   a  of the stage  20  in a turned-over state. Then, the support member  70  is inserted into the lateral hole  20   d  for each of the through-holes  20   a . Thereafter, when the stage  20  which has been turned over is returned, each lift pin  30  is suspended by the support member  70  by engagement between the upper surface of the support member  70  and the lower surface of the large diameter portion  32  of the lift pin  30 . Then, the stage  20  is provided in the process vessel  10 . Thereafter, the cover member  22  is provided on the upper surface of the stage  20 . The provision of the lift pin  30  is performed, for example, in this way. 
     As described above, in the present embodiment, the film forming apparatus  1  includes the stage  20  having the through-holes  20   a  vertically penetrating the stage. The wafer W is placed on the upper surface of the stage and is heated. The film forming apparatus  1  further includes the lift pin  30  inserted into the through-hole  20   a  to be penetrated, and the support member  70  configured to support the lift pin  30 . Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the lift pin  30  has the protrusion  31  configured to protrude from the upper surface of the stage  20  through the through-hole  20   a  of the stage  20 , and the large diameter portion  32  located below the protrusion  31  and formed thicker than the protrusion  31 . In addition, the stage  20  has the lateral hole  20   d  which is formed to extend from the side surface of the stage  20  so as to intersect with the through-hole  20   a  and into which the support member  70  is inserted. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the lift pin  30  is supported by the engagement of the support member  70  inserted into the stage  20  through the lateral hole  20   d  and the large diameter portion  32  of the lift pin  30 . Eventually, the lift pin  30  is not fixed to the pin movement mechanism  100  or the like. Therefore, the lift pin  30  is not damaged or smooth elevating operation of the lift pin  30  is not impaired by the influence of the thermal expansion or the like of the stage  20 . Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the upper opening end  20   c  of the through-hole  20   a  of the stage  20  is thinner than the large diameter portion  32  of the lift pin  30  for supporting the lift pin  30 . Therefore, according to the present embodiment, since the temperature of the portion of the wafer W corresponding to the through-hole  20   a  can be suppressed from being lowered compared with, for example, a case where the upper opening end  20   c  of the through-hole  20   a  is thicker than the large diameter portion  32  of the lift pin  30 , it is possible to improve the in-plane uniformity of the temperature of the wafer W. 
     Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to simply provide the lift pin  30 . 
     Moreover, in the present embodiment, since the member for supporting the lift pin  30 , such as the support member  70 , does not have a complicated shape and is small in size, it can be manufactured at low cost. 
     Furthermore, in the present embodiment, since the lift pin  30  is supported by the large diameter portion  32  of the lift pin  30 , it is possible to make the diameter of the protrusion  31  of the lift pin  30  as small as possible, and thus to make the dimension of the opening end  20   c  as small as possible. By making the dimension of the opening end  20   c  small, it is possible to further improve the in-plane uniformity of the temperature of the wafer W. 
     Furthermore, in the present embodiment, since at least a portion of the lift pin  30  is always located in the through-hole  20   a , a positional deviation between the lift pin  30  and the through-hole  20   a  does not occur. If the positional deviation occurs, the lift pin may be damaged when the lift pin is raised. However, according to the present embodiment, since the positional deviation does not occur, it is possible to avoid the damage of the lift pin  30 . In order to avoid the damage of the lift pin, in particular, in order to avoid the damage of the protrusion of the lift pin, a case where the protrusion of the lift pin is thickened is possible. However, according to the present embodiment, since the damage may not occur as described above, the protrusion of the lift pin needs not to be thickened. That is, it is possible to make the protrusion of the lift pin thin. 
     In addition, as a technique for improving the in-plane uniformity of the temperature of the wafer W, there is a technique using an edge pin supporting the edge of the wafer W. However, in this technique, since it is necessary to provide an insertion through-hole into which the edge pin is inserted to be penetrated in the stage and the edge of the wafer W is located on the insertion through-hole, a film may also be formed on the rear surface of the wafer. In the present embodiment, such film formation on the rear surface of the wafer does not occur. 
     In addition, the support structure of the lift pin  30  according to the present embodiment is a simple structure in which the lift pin  30  is suspended by the support member  70 , and thus an operating member such as a clamp which may be a discharge source for a foreign matter is not used to support the lift pin  30 . Thus, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent deterioration of the quality of a film such as the TiN film formed on the wafer W. 
     Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the lift pin  30  has, below the large diameter portion  32 , the contact portion  33  which is formed thicker than the large diameter portion  32  and with which the pin movement mechanism  100  is brought into contact,. Therefore, when the lift pin  30  is moved by bringing the pin movement mechanism  100  into contact with the lift pin  30  from below, the lift pin  30  can be stably supported. Thus, the lift pin  30  is not damaged, such as being broken, as the lift pin  30  rises in an inclined state. Furthermore, by providing the contact portion  33  as described above, the lift pin  30  can be smoothly lowered by its own weight as the contact member  101  of the pin movement mechanism  100  is lowered. 
     In addition, in the present embodiment, since the connection portion  34  of the lift pin  30  is formed thinner than the large diameter portion  32  as a whole, even if the lift pin  30  is slightly inclined, the connection portion  34  is brought into contact with the lower surface or the like of the stage  20  when the lift pin  30  rises, causing no damage. 
     Moreover, in the present embodiment, the opening end of the lateral hole  20   d  of the stage  20  is covered with the cover member  22 . Thus, it is possible to prevent the support member  70  from detaching from the lateral hole  20   d . By providing the cover member  22 , it is possible to prevent unnecessary film formation on the peripheral end surface or the rear surface of the stage  20 . 
     In the aforementioned example, the engagement between the large diameter portion  32  of the lift pin  30  and the support member  70  has not been released only by moving the stage  20  to the transfer position, but has been released when the lift pin  30  is raised by the pin movement mechanism  100 . However, in a state where the movement to the transfer position of the stage  20  is completed, the engagement may be released by allowing a further downward movement of the lift pin  30  to be hindered by the contact of the lower surface of the contact portion  33  of the lift pin  30  and the upper surface of the pin movement mechanism  100 . 
       FIG. 7  is a partial enlarged plan view illustrating another example of the support member. In the support member  70  described above with reference to  FIG. 3  and the like, the engagement portion  72  provided at its leading end was formed in a U shape. The engagement portion of the support member is not limited to the shape but modification is possible as long as the lift pin  30  can be engaged. Specifically, as long as the large diameter portion  32  of the lift pin  30  can be engaged, the support member may be formed in an L shape, for example, like an engagement portion  201  of the support member  200  in  FIG. 7 . 
     Another example of the support structure of the lift pin will be described with reference to  FIGS. 8 and 9 .  FIG. 8  is a partial enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating another example of the support structure of the lift pin, and  FIG. 9  is an enlarged plan view of a leading end of the support member forming a portion of the support structure of  FIG. 8 . 
     In the aforementioned example, the lift pin  30  engaged with the support member  70  to be supported by the support member  70  such that the lower surface of the large diameter portion  32  of the lift pin  30  and the upper surface of the support member  70  are brought into contact with each other. That is, in the aforementioned example, the lift pin  30  is directly engaged with the support member  70  to be supported by the support member  70 . 
     In contrast, in the example of  FIG. 8 , a lift pin  210  indirectly engages with a support member  220  inserted into the lateral hole  20   d  of the stage  20  via a support auxiliary member  230  to be supported by the support member  220  by the indirect engagement. 
     The support auxiliary member  230  is made of, for example, alumina or aluminum nitride, and has a first engagement portion  231  and a second engagement portion  232 . The first engagement portion  231  engages with the support member  220  inserted into the lateral hole  20   d  of the stage  20 . Specifically, the first engagement portion  231  engages with the support member  220  such that the lower surface of the first engagement portion  231  and the upper surface of an engagement portion  222 , which will be described later, formed at the leading end of the support member  220  are brought into contact with each other. The second engagement portion  232  is located below the support member  220  inserted into the lateral hole  20   d  of the stage  20 , and engages with a large diameter portion  211  of the lift pin  210 . Specifically, the second engagement portion  232  is located below the support member  220 , and engages with the lift pin  210  such that the upper surface of the second engagement portion  232  and the lower surface of the large diameter portion  211  of the lift pin  210  are brought into contact with each other. 
     Furthermore, the support auxiliary member  230  is formed so that a cylindrical portion  233  accommodating the large diameter portion  211  of the lift pin  210  connects the first engagement portion  231  and the second engagement portion  232 . The cylindrical portion  233  is formed in, for example, a cylindrical shape whose inner diameter is larger than the large diameter portion  211  of the lift pin  210 . In this example, the first engagement portion  231  is formed in an annular shape so as to protrude outward from the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion  233 , and the second engagement portion  232  is formed in an annular shape so as to protrude inward from the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion  233 . 
     The support member  220  supports the lift pin  210  by the engagement with the large diameter portion  211  of the lift pin  210  via the support auxiliary member  230  while it is inserted into the lateral hole  20   d  of the stage  20 . Specifically, the support member  220  suspends the lift pin  210  by suspending the support auxiliary member  230 , which suspends the lift pin  210  by the engagement with the large diameter portion  211  of the lift pin  210 , through the engagement with the first engagement portion  231  of the support auxiliary member  230 . 
     Furthermore, as illustrated in  FIG. 9 , a notch  221  is formed at a leading end of the support member  220 , and a U-shaped engagement portion  222  in which the lift pin  210  is engaged with the notch  221  is formed. The notch  221  is cut in the insertion direction of the support member  220  into the lateral hole  20   d  of the stage  20 , A width W 2  of the notch  221  is smaller than a diameter R 3  of the first engagement portion  231  of the support auxiliary member  230  and larger than a diameter R 4  of the cylindrical portion  233  of the support auxiliary member  230 . Therefore, when the support member  220  is inserted to the inner side of the lateral hole  20   d  of the stage  20 , the insertion is not hindered by the support auxiliary member  230  in the through-hole  20   a , and the support auxiliary member  230  can be suspended by the substantially entire engagement portion  222  of the support member  220 . 
     Furthermore, in this example, the lower opening end  20   b  of the through-hole  20   a  of the stage  20  is formed thicker than the first engagement portion  231  of the support auxiliary member  230 . Therefore, a portion of the support auxiliary member  230  on the first engagement portion  231  side can be inserted into the through-hole  20   a  of the stage  20  from below. 
     Also, in this example, the upper opening end  20   c  of the through-hole  20   a  of the stage  20  is thinner than the large diameter portion  211  of the lift pin  210 . Therefore, since the temperature of the portion of the water W corresponding to the through-hole  20   a  can be suppressed from being lowered, it is possible to improve the in-plane uniformity of the temperature of the wafer W. 
     In addition, the lateral hole  20   d  of the stage  20  into which the support member  220  is inserted cannot be formed at a position at which the heater pattern  21  is arranged. Therefore, the formation position of the lateral hole  20   d  cannot be freely set. However, in this example, since the second engagement portion  232  of the support auxiliary member  230  is located below the support member  220 , the distance from the leading end of the lift pin  210  to the lower surface of the large diameter portion  211  can be set to a desired value regardless of the formation position of the lateral hole  20   d . Thus, it is possible to protrude the lift pin  210  from the upper surface of the stage  20  by a desired amount regardless of the formation position of the lateral hole  20   d.    
     Moreover, in the example of  FIG. 3  and the like, the contact portion  33  is formed on the lift pin  30  so as to prevent the lift pin  30  from being moved by the pin movement mechanism  100  in an inclined state. In contrast, in this example, the lift pin  210  does not have the contact portion  33 , and instead, the cylindrical portion  233  accommodating the large diameter portion  211  of the lift pin  210  is provided in the support auxiliary member  230 . In this configuration, the inclination of the lift pin  210  is limited by the contact of the outer peripheral surface of the lift pin  210  and the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion  233 . Thus, in this example, it is possible to prevent the lift pin  210  from being moved by the pin movement mechanism  100  in an inclined state. 
     The lengths of the large diameter portion  211  of the lift pin  210  and the cylindrical portion  233  of the support auxiliary member  230  are set at least such that the large diameter portion  211  is located inside the cylindrical portion  233  even when the lift pin  210  is maximally raised. Furthermore, the length and outer diameter of the large diameter portion  211  and the length and inner diameter of the cylindrical portion  233  are set such that the lift pin  210  is not brought into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the through-hole  20   a  even when the lift pin  210  is maximally inclined. In addition, the length of the large diameter portion  211  is, for example, 10 to 15 mm, and the length of the cylindrical portion  233  is, for example, 15 to 25 mm. 
     In the aforementioned example, the lateral hole  20   d  of the stage  20  extended in the horizontal direction, namely extended in a direction parallel to the upper surface of the stage  20 , but the lateral hole  20   d  may be formed so as to be inclined with respect to the upper surface of the stage  20  and so as to extend obliquely downward from the side surface of the stage  20 . In this case, the cover member  22  may be omitted. 
     Furthermore, although the film formation performed by the ALD method has been described above, the technique according to the present disclosure may also be applied to a case where the film formation is performed by a CVD method. For example, the technique according to the present disclosure may also be applied to a case where a Si film or a SiN film is formed by a CVD method using a Si-containing gas. 
     Although the film forming apparatus has been described as an example in the foregoing example, the technique according to the present disclosure may also be applied to a substrate processing apparatus which has a stage and performs any process other than the film forming process. For example, it may also be applied to an inspection device which performs an inspection process, or to an etching device. 
     According to the present disclosure in some embodiments, it is possible to improve in-plane uniformity of a temperature of a substrate when the substrate placed on a stage having a through-hole into which a substrate support pin is inserted is heated or cooled on the stage. 
     While certain embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosures. Indeed, the embodiments described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the embodiments described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the disclosures. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of the disclosures.