Source: http://www.freshpatents.com/-dt20121025ptan20120269970.php
Timestamp: 2015-03-27 08:12:18
Document Index: 728461475

Matched Legal Cases: ['Application No. 2011', 'art 110', 'arts 53', 'art 71', 'art 71', 'art 71', 'art 71', 'arts 71', 'art 71', 'art 71', 'art 71', 'art 71', 'art 84', 'art 85', 'art 84', 'art 87', 'art 84', 'art 87', 'art 85', 'art 85', 'art 91', 'art 91', 'art 91', 'art 91', 'art 101', 'art 101', 'art 101', 'art 110']

Cleaning Method And Film Depositing Method (Tokyo Electron Limited) FreshPatents Stats n/a views for this patent on FreshPatents.comUpdated: January 23 2015 TOP 200 Companiesfiling patents this week
10/25/12 | Class 427 Monitor | RSS | Industry | Companies | Inventors
Cleaning method and film depositing method Title: Cleaning method and film depositing method.Abstract: A cleaning method for a film deposition apparatus that deposits a polyimide film conveyed into a film deposition chamber by feeding a first source gas formed of dianhydride and a second source gas formed of diamine into the film deposition chamber, the method including the steps of: generating an oxygen atmosphere in the film deposition chamber, and removing polyimide remaining in the film deposition chamber by heating the film deposition chamber at a temperature of 360° C. to 540° C. in the oxygen atmosphere and oxidizing the polyimide. ...
Browse recent Tokyo Electron Limited patentsUSPTO Applicaton #: #20120269970 - Class: 427255394 (USPTO) - 10/25/12 - Class 427 Inventors: Yasuyuki Ido, Kippei Sugita, Tatsuya Yamaguchi Related Patent Categories: Coating Processes, Coating By Vapor, Gas, Or Smoke, Mixture Of Vapors Or Gases (e.g., Deposition Gas And Inert Gas, Inert Gas And Reactive Gas, Two Or More Reactive Gases, Etc.) Utilized, Coating Formed From Vaporous Or Gaseous Phase Reaction Mixture (e.g., Chemical Vapor Deposition, Cvd, Etc.), Nitrogen Containing Coating (e.g., Metal Nitride, Etc.)The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20120269970, Cleaning method and film depositing method.
The present application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority of Japanese Patent Application No. 2011-073192, filed on Mar. 29, 2011, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to a cleaning method for a film deposition apparatus for depositing a film on a substrate and a film depositing method for depositing the film on the substrate.
In recent years, a wide range of materials from inorganic materials to organic materials are used for a semiconductor device. The characteristics of the organic materials (which inorganic materials do not have) help to optimize the properties of the semiconductor device and the manufacturing process of the semiconductor device.
One of the organic materials is polyimide. Polyimide has a high insulating property. Therefore, a polyimide film obtained by depositing polyimide on a surface of a substrate can be used as an insulating film, and as an insulating film of a semiconductor device.
For depositing the polyimide film, there is a known film deposition method where vapor deposition polymerization is performed by using, for example, pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA) and 4,4′-oxydianiline (ODA) as raw material monomers. Vapor deposition polymerization is a method that causes thermal polymerization of pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA) and 4,4′-oxydianiline (ODA) (being used as raw material monomers) on a surface of a substrate (see, for example, Japanese Patent No. 4283910). Japanese Patent No. 4283910 discloses a film deposition method where a polyimide film is deposited by vaporizing PMDA and ODA monomers in a vaporizer, feeding each of the vaporized gases to a vapor deposition polymerization chamber, and causing vapor deposition polymerization on a substrate.
The method for depositing the polyimide film by vapor deposition requires a cleaning step for removing polyimide adhered to the film deposition chamber during a film deposition process. For example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 9-255791 discloses a method of thermally decomposing adhered polyimide by heating the film deposition chamber with a heating mechanism. Further, there is a thermal decomposition method of heating polyimide inside an oxygen containing atmosphere (see, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2006-169344).
However, the cleaning step (i.e. removing polyimide adhered to the film deposition chamber by which a polyimide film is deposited) has the following problems.
In a case of heating in a state where oxygen is blocked out, organic compounds containing polyimide are only thermally decomposed. Therefore, the organic compounds containing polyimide are carbonized and remain in the form of carbon. The remaining carbon becomes the cause of particles generated in the film deposition apparatus. Accordingly, in a case where a film deposition process is performed in such film deposition apparatus, particles adhere to the substrate on which the polyimide film is deposited. Then, the substrate having particles adhered thereto may be determined to be defective during an inspecting step. Thus, the yield of the film deposition apparatus decreases.
Further, even in a case where the cleaning step is performed in an oxygen containing atmosphere, if heating is performed in a state where only a small amount of oxygen is being supplied, organic compounds containing polyimide are only thermally decomposed. Therefore, the organic compounds containing polyimide are carbonized and remain in the form of carbon.
In view of the above, an embodiment of the present invention provides a cleaning method and a film depositing method for preventing carbonizing of polyimide and removing polyimide without any particles remaining a film deposition chamber.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a cleaning method for a film deposition apparatus that deposits a polyimide film conveyed into a film deposition chamber by feeding a first source gas formed of dianhydride and a second source gas formed of diamine into the film deposition chamber, the method including the steps of: generating an oxygen atmosphere in the film deposition chamber; and removing polyimide remaining in the film deposition chamber by heating the film deposition chamber at a temperature of 360 to 540° C. in the oxygen atmosphere and oxidizing the polyimide.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a film depositing method for depositing a film on at least a substrate by feeding source gases into a film deposition chamber, the method including the steps of: performing a film depositing process including conveying in the substrate to the film deposition chamber, feeding an adhesion accelerating agent gas into the film deposition chamber, treating a surface of the substrate with the adhesion accelerating agent gas, depositing a polyimide film on the substrate by feeding a first source gas formed of dianhydride and a second source gas formed of diamine into the film deposition chamber, and conveying out the substrate having the polyimide film deposited thereon from the film deposition chamber; and performing a cleaning process including generating an oxygen atmosphere in the film deposition chamber, and removing polyimide remaining in the film deposition chamber by heating the film deposition chamber in the oxygen atmosphere and oxidizing the polyimide.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and not restrictive of the invention as claimed.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention, and together with the general description given above and the detailed description of the embodiments given below, serve to explain the principles of the invention, in which:
FIG. 1 is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of a film deposition apparatus used for performing a cleaning method and a film depositing method according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a loading area according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a boat according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a configuration of a film deposition chamber according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of an adhesion accelerating agent feed mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a flowchart for illustrating processes of steps including a film deposition process using the film deposition apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention;
FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate an example where a silane coupling agent is used as an adhesion accelerating agent according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIGS. 8A-8B illustrate the manner in which polyimide is thermally decomposed and the manner in which polyimide is oxidized.
FIGS. 9A and 9B are graphs illustrating the results of measuring the quantity of a generated gas (generation quantity) by using a mass spectrometry (MS) method in a case of using a Temperature Programmed Desorption (TPD) method where the gas is desorbed by increasing the temperature of polyimide;
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state before and after performing the cleaning process on a wafer having a layered member formed thereon;
FIG. 11 is a plan view illustrating a film deposition apparatus for performing a cleaning method and a film depositing method according to a second embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 12 is a front view illustrating configurations of a process container, an adhesion accelerating agent feed mechanism, and an exhaust mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention; and
FIG. 13 is a plan view illustrating configurations of a film deposition chamber, a feed mechanism, and an exhaust mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Next, a description is given of embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.
First Embodiment First, a description is given, with reference to FIG. 1 through FIG. 10, of a cleaning method and a film depositing method according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
The film depositing method according to this embodiment may be applied to a film deposition apparatus configured to deposit a polyimide film on a substrate held in a film deposition chamber by feeding the substrate with a first raw material gas, which is, for example, vaporized pyromellitic dianhydride (hereinafter abbreviated as “PMDA”), and a second raw material gas, which is, for example, vaporized 4,4′-3 oxydianiline (hereinafter, abbreviated as “ODA”).
FIG. 1 is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view illustrating a film deposition apparatus 10 for performing the cleaning method and the film depositing method according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a loading area 40. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating an example of a boat 44.
The film deposition apparatus 10 includes a placement table (load port) 20, a housing 30, and a control part 110.
The placement table 20 is provided on the front side of the housing 30. The housing 30 includes the loading area (work area) 40 and the film deposition chamber 60. The loading area 40 is provided in a lower part of the housing 30. The film deposition chamber 60 is provided above the loading area 40 in the housing 30. Further, a base plate 31 is provided between the loading area 40 and the film deposition chamber 60. The below-described feeding mechanism 70 is provided in a manner connected to the film deposition chamber 60.
The base plate 31 is, for example, a stainless steel base plate for providing a reaction tube 61 of the film deposition chamber 60. An opening, which is not graphically illustrated, is formed in the base plate 31 to allow insertion of the reaction tube 61 from bottom up.
The placement table 20 is for carrying the wafers W into and out of the housing 30. Containers 21 and 22 are placed on the placement table 20. The containers 21 and 22 are closable containers (front-opening unified pods or FOUPs) having a detachable lid, which is not graphically illustrated, on the front and accommodate multiple, for example, approximately 50 wafers at predetermined intervals.
Further, an aligning unit (aligner) 23 configured to align notched parts (notches) provided in the peripheries of the wafers W transferred by the below-described transfer mechanism 47 in a single direction may be provided below the placement table 20.
The loading area 40 is a work area for transferring the wafers W between the containers 21, 22 and the boat 44, carrying (loading) the boat 44 into the film deposition chamber 60, and carrying out (unloading) the boat 44 from the film deposition chamber 60. Door mechanisms 41, a shutter mechanism 42, a lid body 43, the boat 44, bases 45a and 45b, an elevation mechanism 46, and the transfer mechanism 47 are provided in the loading area 40.
It is to be noted that the lid body 43 and the boat 44 may correspond to a substrate holding part according to an aspect of the present invention.
The door mechanisms 41 are configured to remove the lids of the containers 21 and 22 to cause the containers 21 and 22 to communicate with and be open to the inside of the loading area 40.
The shutter mechanism 42 is provided in an upper part of the loading area 40. The shutter mechanism 42 is so provided as to cover (or close) the below-described opening 63 of the film deposition chamber 60 to control or prevent a release of the heat inside the film deposition chamber 60 at high temperature to the loading area 40 through the opening 63 when the lid body 43 is open.
The lid body 43 includes a heat insulating tube 48 and a rotation mechanism 49. The heat insulating tube 48 is provided on the lid body 43. The heat insulating tube 48 prevents the boat 44 from being cooled through a transfer of heat with the lid body 43, and keeps heat in the boat 44. The rotation mechanism 49 is attached to the bottom of the lid body 43. The rotation mechanism 49 causes the boat 44 to rotate. The rotating shaft of the rotation mechanism 49 is so provided as to pass through the lid body 43 in a hermetic manner to rotate a rotating table, not graphically illustrated, provided on the lid body 43.
The elevation mechanism 46 drives the lid body 43 to move up and down when the boat 44 is carried into the film deposition chamber 60 from the loading area 40 and out of the film deposition chamber 60 to the loading area 40. The lid body 43 is so provided as to come into contact with the opening 63 to hermetically close the opening 63 when the lid body 43, moved upward by the elevation mechanism 46, has been carried into the film deposition chamber 60. The boat 44 placed on the lid body 43 may hold the wafers W in the film deposition chamber 60 in such a manner as to allow the wafers W to rotate in a horizontal plane.
The film deposition apparatus 10 may have multiple boats 44. In this embodiment, a description is given below, with reference to FIG. 2, of a case where the film deposition apparatus 10 includes two boats 44a and 44b, which may also be collectively referred to as the “boat 44” when there is no need to make a distinction between the boats 44a and 44b in particular.
The boats 44a and 44b are provided in the loading area 40. The bases 45a and 45b and a boat conveying mechanism 45c are provided in the loading area 40. The bases 45a and 45b are placement tables onto which the boats 44a and 44b are transferred from the lid body 43, respectively. The boat conveying mechanism 45c transfers the boats 44a and 44b from the lid body 43 to the bases 45a and 45b, respectively.
The boats 44a and 44b are made of, for example, quartz, and are configured to have the wafers W, which are large, for example, 300 mm in diameter, loaded in a horizontal position at predetermined intervals (with predetermined pitch width) in a vertical direction. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the boats 44a and 44b have multiple, for example, three columnar supports 52 are provided between a top plate 50 and a bottom plate 51. The columnar supports 52 are provided with claw parts 53 for holding the wafers W. Further, auxiliary columns 54 may suitably be provided together with the columnar supports 52.
The transfer mechanism 47 is configured to transfer the wafers W between the containers 21 and 22 and the boats 44 (44a and 44b). The transfer mechanism 47 includes a base 57, an elevation arm 58 and plural forks (transfer plates) 59. The base 57 is so provided as to be vertically movable and turnable. The elevation arm 58 is, for example, so provided as to be vertically movable (movable upward and downward) with a ball screw or the like. The base 57 is so provided as to be horizontally movable (turnable) relative to the elevation arm 58.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of the film deposition chamber 60 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
The film deposition chamber 60 may be, for example, a vertical furnace that accommodates multiple substrates to be processed (treated), such as thin disk-shaped wafers W, and performs a predetermined process such as CVD on the substrates to be processed. The film deposition chamber 60 includes the reaction tube 61, a heater 62, a cooling mechanism 65, a feed mechanism 70, adhesion accelerating agent feed mechanism 80, a purge gas feed mechanism 90, an exhaust mechanism 95, and a cleaning gas feed mechanism 100.
It is to be noted that the heater 62 may correspond to a heating mechanism according to an aspect of the present invention.
The reaction tube 61 is made of, for example, quartz, has a vertically elongated shape, and has the opening 63 formed at the lower end. The heater (heating apparatus) 62 is so provided as to cover the periphery of the reaction tube 61, and may control heating so that the inside of the reaction tube 61 is heated to a predetermined temperature, for example, 50° C. to 1200° C.
The feed mechanism 70 includes a source gas feeding part 71 and an injector 72 provided inside the film deposition chamber 60. The injector 72 includes a feeding tube 73a. The source gas feeding part 71 is connected to the feeding tube 73a of the injector 72.
In this embodiment, the feed mechanism 70 may include a first source gas feeding part 71a and a second source gas feeding part 71b. The first and the second source gas feeding parts 71a, 71b are connected to the injector 72 (feeding tube 73a) via valves 71c, 71d, respectively. The first source gas feeding part 71a includes a first vaporizer 74a configured to vaporize, for example, a PMDA source material. Thus, the first source gas feeding part 71a can feed PMDA gas. The second source gas feeding part 71b includes a second vaporizer 74b configured to vaporize, for example, an ODA source material.
A feeding hole 75 is formed in the feeding tube 73a as an opening toward the inside of the film deposition chamber 60. The injector 72 feeds the first and the second source gases flowing from the source gas feeding part 71 to the feeding tube 73a into the film deposition chamber 60 via the feeding hole 75.
Further, the feeding tube 73a may be provided in a manner extending in a vertical direction. Additionally, plural feeding holes 75 may be formed in the feeding tube 73a. The feeding hole 75 may have various shapes such as a circular shape, an elliptical shape, or a rectangular shape.
It is preferable for the injector 72 to include an inner feeding tube 73b. The inner feeding tube 73b may be formed in a portion that is upstream than a portion which the feeding hole of the feeding tube 73a is formed. Further, an opening 76 may be formed in the vicinity of a downstream side of the inner feeding tube 73b for feeding either the first or the second source gas to the inner space of the feeding tube 73a. With the inner feeding tube 73b having the above-described configuration, the first and the second source gases can be sufficiently mixed inside the inner space of the feeding tube 73a prior to feeding the first and the second source gases from the feeding hole 75 to the inside of the film deposition chamber 60.
The following embodiment is a case where the first source gas is fed to the feeding tube 73a and the second source gas is fed to the inner feeding tube 73b. Alternatively, the first source gas may be fed to the inner feeding tube 73b, and the second source gas may be fed to the feeding tube 73a. The opening 76 may have various shapes such as a circular shape, an elliptical shape, or a rectangular shape.
In this embodiment, the boat 44 may have multiple wafers W vertically accommodated therein at predetermined intervals. In this embodiment, the feeding tube 73a and the inner feeding tube 73b may be provided in a manner extending in a vertical direction. Further, assuming that a lower part of the feeding tube 73a corresponds to an upstream side and an upper part of the feeding tube 73a corresponds to a downstream side, the inner feeding tube 73b may be installed inside the feeding tube 73a in a position lower than the part which the feeding hole of the feeding tube 73a is formed. Further, the opening 76 for communicating with the inner space of the feeding tube 73a may be provided in the vicinity of an upper end part of the inner feeding tube 73b. The feed mechanism 70 is configured to have, for example, the first source gas flow through the feeding tube 73a and the second source gas flow through the inner feeding tube 73b. The second source gas flows from the inner feeding tube 73b to the feeding tube 73a via the opening 76. Thereby, the first and the second source gases are mixed. In such mixed state, the first and the second source gases are fed into the film deposition chamber 60 via the feeding hole 75.
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of an adhesion accelerating agent feed mechanism 80 according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is to be noted that components other than those of the film deposition chamber 60, the boat 44, and the adhesion accelerating agent feed mechanism 80 are not illustrated in FIG. 5.
As illustrated in FIG. 5, the adhesion accelerating agent feed mechanism 80 includes a vaporizer 81 and a feeding tube 82 provided inside the film deposition chamber 60. The vaporizer 81 is connected to the feeding tube 82 via a valve 81a. The adhesion accelerating agent feed mechanism 80 feeds an adhesion accelerating agent gas (formed by vaporizing the below-described adhesion accelerating agent SC) into the film deposition chamber 60 and treats the surface of the wafer W with the adhesion accelerating agent gas.
The vaporizer 81 includes a retaining container 83, a gas inlet part 84, and a gas outlet part 85.
The retaining container 83 is configured to have the adhesion coupling agent SC (e.g., silane coupling agent) filled therein. A heating mechanism 86 is provided inside the retaining container 83. The adhesion coupling agent SC filled inside the retaining container 83 can be heated and vaporized by the heating mechanism 86. It is to be noted that a heater or the like may be used as the heating mechanism 86. As long as the retaining container 83 can be heated, the heating mechanism 86 can be arbitrarily positioned in a given part of the retaining container 83.
The gas inlet part 84 guides an adhesion accelerating agent carrier gas formed of an inert gas (e.g., nitrogen (N2)) from an adhesion accelerating agent carrier gas feeding part 87, so that the adhesion accelerating agent gas can be carried by the adhesion accelerating agent carrier gas. The gas inlet part 84 includes a gas inlet tube 84a and a gas inlet port 84b. The gas inlet tube 84a is a tube for guiding the adhesion accelerating agent carrier gas from the outside to the inside of the retaining container 83. The gas inlet tube 84a is attached to a top surface of the retaining container 83 in a manner penetrating through the top surface of the retaining container 83 and extending vertically (i.e. from top to bottom of the retaining container 83) into the retaining container 83. Further, one end of the gas inlet tube 84a has an opening at the bottom part of the retaining container 83 whereas the other end of the gas inlet tube 84a is connected to the adhesion accelerating agent carrier gas feeding part 87 outside the retaining container 83. The gas inlet port 84b corresponds to the opening formed on the bottom end of the gas inlet tube 84a. FIG. 5 illustrates the gas inlet port 84b positioned below the liquid surface of the adhesion accelerating agent SC for bubbling the adhesion accelerating agent SC with the adhesion accelerating agent carrier gas fed from the gas inlet port 84b. Alternatively, the gas inlet port 84b may be positioned above the liquid surface of the adhesion accelerating agent SC. In this case, the adhesion accelerating agent SC need not be bubbled with the adhesion accelerating agent carrier gas fed from the gas inlet port 84b. The gas outlet part 85 guides the adhesion accelerating agent gas together with the adhesion accelerating agent carrier gas out from the retaining container 83. The gas outlet part 85 includes a gas outlet tube 85a and a gas outlet port 85b. The gas outlet tube 85a is a tube for guiding the adhesion accelerating agent gas and the adhesion accelerating agent carrier gas out from the retaining container 83. The gas outlet tube 85a is attached to the top surface of the retaining container 83 in a manner penetrating the top surface of the retaining container 83. Further, one end of the gas outlet tube 85a has an opening at an inner top part of the retaining container 83 whereas the other end of the gas outlet tube 85a is connected to a feeding tube 82 provided inside the film deposition chamber 60. The gas outlet port 85b corresponds to the opening formed on the bottom end of the gas outlet tube 85a. The feeding tube 82, which is made of quartz, penetrates through the sidewall of the film deposition chamber 60 and bends in a manner extending upward. A feed opening 82a is formed at one end of the feeding tube 82 inside the film deposition chamber 60. The feeding tube 82 feeds the adhesion accelerating agent gas from the vaporizer 81 to the inside of the film deposition chamber 60 via the feed opening 82a. It is preferable for the feed opening 82a to be provided in one part in the film deposition chamber 60 in the vicinity of the wafer(s) W mounted on the boat 44. Thereby, the adhesion accelerating agent gas from the feed opening 82a can be evenly dispersed inside the film deposition chamber 60.
The purge gas feed mechanism 90 includes a purge gas feeding part 91 and a purge gas feeding tube 92. The purge gas feeding part 91 is connected to the film deposition chamber 60 via the purge gas feeding tube 92. The purge gas feeding part 91 feeds a purge gas into the film deposition chamber 60. A valve 93 and a mass flow controller (MFC) 94 are provided at a midsection of the purge gas feeding tube 92. The valve 93 is for communicating or disconnecting the purge gas feeding part 91 with respect to the inside of the film deposition chamber 60. The MFC 94 is for controlling the flow rate of the purge gas. Nitrogen (N2) gas may be used as the purge gas.
The exhaust mechanism 95 includes an exhaust device 96 and an exhaust pipe 97. The exhaust mechanism 95 is configured to evacuate gas from the inside of the film deposition chamber 60 via the exhaust pipe 97.
The cleaning gas feed mechanism 100 includes a cleaning gas feeding part 101 and a cleaning gas feeding tube 102. The cleaning gas feeding part 101, which is connected to the film deposition chamber 60 via the cleaning gas feeding tube 102, feeds a cleaning gas into the film deposition chamber 60. A valve 103 and a mass flow controller (MFC) 104 are provided at a midsection of the cleaning gas feeding tube 102. The valve 103 is for communicating or disconnecting the cleaning gas feeding part 101 with respect to the inside of the film deposition chamber 60. The MFC 104 is for controlling the flow rate of the cleaning gas. Oxygen (O2) gas may be used as the cleaning gas.
In this embodiment, the MFC 104 controls the flow rate of the cleaning gas fed from the cleaning gas feed mechanism 100, the MFC 94 controls the flow rate of the purge gas fed from the purge gas feed mechanism 90, and a valve (not illustrated) controls the flow rate of exhaust from the film deposition chamber 60. Thereby, an oxygen atmosphere can be generated inside the film deposition chamber 60 (generation of oxygen atmosphere) and the oxygen can be adjusted to a desired partial pressure.
The control part 110 includes, for example, a processing part, a storage part, and a display part, which are not illustrated in FIG. 4. The processing part is, for example, a computer including a central processing unit (CPU). The storage part is a computer-readable recording medium formed of, for example, hard disks, on which a program for causing the processing part to execute various processes is recorded. The display part is formed of, for example, a computer screen (display). The processing unit reads a program recorded in the storage part and transmits control signals to components of the boat 44a (substrate holding part), the heater 62, the cooling mechanism 65, the supply mechanism 70, the adhesion accelerating agent supply mechanism 80, the purge gas supply mechanism 90, the exhaust mechanism 95, and the cleaning gas feed mechanism 100 in accordance with the program, thereby executing the below-described film deposition process.
Next, a film deposition process using the above-described embodiment of the film deposition apparatus 10 is described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart for illustrating the processes of steps including a film deposition process using the film deposition apparatus 10 according to this embodiment.
After the start of a film deposition process, the wafers W are carried into the film deposition chamber 60 (Step S11, carry-in step). In the embodiment of the film deposition apparatus 10 illustrated in FIG. 1, in the loading area 20, the wafers W may be loaded into the boat 44a with the transfer mechanism 7 and the boat 44a loaded with the wafers W may be placed on the lid body 43 with the boat conveying mechanism 45c. Then, the lid body 43 on which the boat 44a is placed is caused to move upward by the elevation mechanism 46 to be inserted into the film deposition chamber 60, so that the wafers W are carried into the film deposition chamber 40.
Then, the internal pressure of the film deposition chamber 60 is reduced (Step S12, pressure reducing step). By controlling the exhaust capability of the exhaust device 96 or a flow regulating valve (not illustrated) provided between the exhaust device 96 and the exhaust pipe 97, the amount by which the film deposition chamber 60 is evacuated via the exhaust pipe 97 is increased. Thereby, an atmosphere containing no moisture is generated in the film deposition chamber 60. It is to be noted that the method for generating an atmosphere containing no moisture in the film deposition chamber 60 is not limited to the method of evacuating the film deposition chamber. That is, other methods may be used for generating the atmosphere containing no moisture in the film deposition chamber 60. Then, the internal pressure of the film deposition chamber 60 is reduced from, for example, a predetermined pressure (e.g., atmospheric pressure (101325 Pa)) to 39.9966 Pa.
Then, the temperature of the wafer(s) W is increased to a predetermined temperature (film deposition temperature) for depositing a polyimide film on the wafer W (Step S13, recovery step). After the boat 44a is carried into the film deposition chamber 60, the wafer(s) W mounted on the boat 44a is heated to the film deposition temperature by supplying power to the heater 62.
Further, in the recovery step according to an embodiment of the present invention, the surface of the wafer W may be treated with an adhesion accelerating agent. In this case, the surface of the wafer W is treated by heating the wafer W with the heater 62 together with feeding an adhesion accelerating agent gas from the adhesion accelerating agent feed mechanism 80 to the inside of the film deposition chamber 60 and causing a reaction between the fed adhesion accelerating agent gas and the heated wafer W inside the atmosphere containing no moisture in the film deposition chamber 60 (surface treatment step).
FIGS. 7A and 7B are schematic diagrams illustrating the reaction generated on the surface of the wafer W in a case where a silane coupling agent is used as the adhesion accelerating agent according to an embodiment of the present invention.
It is preferable to use organosilane having molecules containing an alkoxy group (RO— (R; alkyl group)) as the silane coupling agent. FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate an example where organosilane having molecules containing, for example, a methoxy group (CH3O—) is used. As illustrated in FIG. 7A, in a case of using a Si wafer having a hydroxyl group (—OH) terminated surface, methanol (CH3OH) is generated by a thermal reaction between the methoxy group of the silane coupling agent and the hydroxyl group of the wafer surface. Thereby, the silane coupling agent adheres to the wafer surface. As illustrated in FIG. 7B, in a case of using a Si wafer having a hydrogen (H) terminated surface, methane (CH4) is generated by a thermal reaction between the methoxy group of the silane coupling agent and the hydrogen atoms of the wafer surface. Thereby, the silane coupling agent adheres to the wafer surface.
N-phenyl-γ-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (hereinafter also referred to as “SC agent A”) illustrated in the following chemical formula (1) may be used as the organosilane.
[Chemical Formula (1)]
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Patent InfoApplication # US 20120269970 A1Publish Date 10/25/2012 Document # 13429564 File Date 03/26/2012 USPTO Class 427255394 Other USPTO Classes 134 19 International Class / Drawings 14 Follow us on Twitter@FreshPatents
Tokyo Electron LimitedBrowse recent Tokyo Electron Limited patentsCoating Processes Coating By Vapor, Gas, Or Smoke Mixture Of Vapors Or Gases (e.g., Deposition Gas And Inert Gas, Inert Gas And Reactive Gas, Two Or More Reactive Gases, Etc.) Utilized Coating Formed From Vaporous Or Gaseous Phase Reaction Mixture (e.g., Chemical Vapor Deposition, Cvd, Etc.) Nitrogen Containing Coating (e.g., Metal Nitride, Etc.)