Patent ID: 8518488

Claim:
A method for using an apparatus configured to form a silicon germanium film, the method comprising: performing a first film formation process for forming the silicon germanium film as a first product film by CVD on a product target object placed inside a reaction container, by supplying a silicon source gas and a germanium source gas into the reaction container and heating an interior of the reaction container thereby activating the silicon source gas and the germanium source gas, wherein the first film formation process brings about a film formation by-product deposited inside the reaction container and containing silicon germanium; performing a first cleaning process for etching the film formation by-product, subsequent to the first film formation process, by exhausting gas from inside the reaction container with no product target object placed therein, supplying a first cleaning gas containing a halogen into the reaction container, and heating the interior of the reaction container thereby activating the first cleaning gas, wherein the first cleaning process uses a process temperature of 200 to 400° C. and a process pressure of 1,064 to 199,950 Pa; performing a second cleaning process for removing residual germanium from inside the reaction container, subsequent to the first cleaning process, by exhausting gas from inside the reaction container with no product target object placed therein, supplying a second cleaning gas containing an oxidizing gas and hydrogen gas into the reaction container, and heating the interior of the reaction container thereby activating the second cleaning gas, wherein the oxidizing gas is selected from the group consisting of oxygen gas, ozone gas, and a compound gas of nitrogen and oxygen, and the second cleaning process uses a process temperature of 750 to 950° C. and a process pressure of 13.3 to 133 Pa; performing a pre-coating process for covering an inner surface of the reaction container with a silicon coating film, subsequent to the second cleaning process, by supplying the silicon source gas into the reaction container with no product target object placed therein and heating the interior of the reaction container thereby activating the silicon source gas; and performing a second film formation process for forming a silicon film as a second product film by CVD on a product target object placed inside the reaction container, subsequent to the pre-coating process, by supplying the silicon source gas into the reaction container and heating the interior of the reaction container thereby activating the silicon source gas.