# US 11,898,247 B2 · Substrate processing apparatus, method of manufacturing semiconductor device and non-transitory computer-readable recording medium > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,898,247 B2 - Document ID: US11898247B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/204,240 - Filed: 2021-03-17 - Published: 2021-07-08 - Granted: 2024-02-13 - Earliest claimed: 2018-09-20 - Assignees: Kokusai Electric Corporation - Applicants: Kokusai Electric Corporation - Inventors: Hidenari Yoshida; Takafumi Sasaki; Yusaku Okajima - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11898247B2 ## CPC - C23C 16/4588: {the substrate being rotated} - C23C 16/34: Nitrides {(C23C16/303 takes precedence)} - C23C 16/4412: {Details relating to the exhausts, e.g. pumps, filters, scrubbers, particle traps} - C23C 16/45546: {specially adapted for a substrate stack in the ALD reactor} - C23C 16/4584: {the substrate being rotated} - H10P 14/412: {Deposition of metallic or metal-silicide materials} - H10P 14/60: of insulating materials - H10P 72/12: {Vertical boat type carrier whereby the substrates are horizontally supported, e.g. comprising rod-shaped elements} - C23C: COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL (making metal-coated products by extrusion B21C23/22; covering with metal by connecting pre-existing layers to articles, see the relevant places, e.g. B21D39/00, B23K; metallising of glass C03C; metallising mortars, concrete, artificial stone, ceramics or natural stone C04B41/00; enamelling of, or applying a vitreous layer to, metals C23D; treating metal surfaces or coating of metals by electrolysis or electrophoresis C25D; single-crystal film growth C30B; by metallising textiles D06M11/83; decorating textiles by locally metallising D06Q1/04) - H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 ## Abstract Described herein is a technique capable of adjusting a balance in film thickness between surfaces of a plurality of substrates stacked in a process chamber. According to one aspect of the technique, there is provided a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, including: a process chamber capable of accommodating a plurality of substrates; a gas supplier configured to supply a process gas to the plurality of the substrates in the process chamber; a gas exhauster configured to discharge the process gas from the process chamber; and a plurality of disks interposed between the plurality of the substrates, respectively, and in vicinity of back surfaces of the plurality of the substrates. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A substrate processing apparatus comprising: a process chamber capable of accommodating a plurality of substrates; a gas supplier configured to supply a process gas to the plurality of the substrates in the process chamber; a gas exhauster configured to discharge the process gas from the process chamber; a substrate retainer comprising a plurality of support columns provided with a plurality of substrate supports that are configured to support the plurality of substrates, respectively; and a plurality of disks interposed between the plurality of the substrates, respectively, and in vicinity of back surfaces of the plurality of the substrates, wherein the plurality of disks are placed at the plurality of support columns in a manner that the plurality of disks are located respectively beneath the plurality of substrate supports without a gap therebetween. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of the disks are fixed to the plurality of the support columns. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of the substrate supports are provided at the plurality of the support columns such that a space above an upper surface of each of the plurality of the substrates is greater than a space below a lower surface of each of the plurality of the substrates. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of the support columns are separated from edges of the plurality of the substrates by substantially 26 mm to 30 mm. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein a distance between adjacent substrates among the plurality of the substrates is greater than a distance between an edge of each of the disks and a wall of the process chamber. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The substrate processing apparatus of claim 5, wherein the distance between the adjacent substrates is substantially 50 mm to 60 mm or more. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the substrate retainer and the process chamber are configured such that a distance between adjacent substrates among the plurality of the substrates is greater than a distance between an edge of each of the substrates and a wall of the process chamber when forming a film by a reaction involving a small amount of decomposition of the process gas. ### Claim 8 (depends on 3) The substrate processing apparatus of claim 3, wherein the substrate retainer and the process chamber are configured such that a distance between adjacent substrates among the plurality of the substrates is greater than a distance between an edge of each of the substrates and a wall of the process chamber when forming a film by a reaction involving a small amount of decomposition of the process gas. ### Claim 9 (depends on 4) The substrate processing apparatus of claim 4, wherein the substrate retainer and the process chamber are configured such that a distance between adjacent substrates among the plurality of the substrates is greater than a distance between the edge of each of the substrates and a wall of the process chamber when forming a film by a reaction involving a small amount of decomposition of the process gas. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the substrate retainer and the process chamber are configured such that a distance between adjacent substrates among the plurality of the substrates is smaller than a distance between an edge of each of the substrates and a wall of the process chamber when forming a film by a reaction involving a large amount of decomposition of the process gas. ### Claim 11 (depends on 3) The substrate processing apparatus of claim 3, wherein the substrate retainer and the process chamber are configured such that a distance between adjacent substrates among the plurality of the substrates is smaller than a distance between an edge of each of the substrates and a wall of the process chamber when forming a film by a reaction involving a large amount of decomposition of the process gas. ### Claim 12 (depends on 4) The substrate processing apparatus of claim 4, wherein the substrate retainer and the process chamber are configured such that a distance between adjacent substrates among the plurality of the substrates is smaller than a distance between the edge of each of the substrates and a wall of the process chamber when forming a film by a reaction involving a large amount of decomposition of the process gas. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the gas supplier comprises a nozzle provided with a plurality of holes through which a reactive gas is supplied to the plurality of the substrates, and wherein the gas supplier and the substrate retainer are configured such that each of the holes is located substantially halfway between one of the substrates and one of the disks. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the process chamber comprises a heat insulating region below a process region where the substrate retainer is provided, and the heat insulating region comprises a heat insulating material and is isolated from the process region. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the substrate retainer and the process chamber are configured such that a distance between adjacent disks among the plurality of the disks is greater than a distance between an edge of each of the disks and a wall of the process chamber. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the substrate retainer is configured such that a distance between a back surface of each of the substrates and a disk adjacent thereto among the plurality of the disks is greater than a distance between an edge of the disk and a wall of the process chamber. ### Claim 17 A substrate processing method, comprising: (a) loading a substrate retainer where a plurality of substrates are placed into a process chamber, wherein the substrate retainer comprises: a plurality of disks interposed between the plurality of the substrates, respectively, and in vicinity of back surfaces of the plurality of the substrates; and a plurality of support columns provided with a plurality of substrate supports configured to support the plurality of the substrates, respectively, wherein the plurality of disks are placed at the plurality of support columns in a manner that the plurality of disks are located respectively beneath the plurality of substrate supports without a gap therebetween; (b) supplying a process gas to the plurality of the substrates; and (c) exhausting the process gas. ### Claim 18 A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a program that causes, by a computer, a substrate processing apparatus to perform: (a) loading a substrate retainer where a plurality of substrates are placed into a process chamber, wherein the substrate retainer comprises: a plurality of disks interposed between the plurality of the substrates, respectively, and in vicinity of back surfaces of the plurality of the substrates; and a plurality of support columns provided with a plurality of substrate supports configured to support the plurality of the substrates, respectively, wherein the plurality of disks are placed at the plurality of support columns in a manner that the plurality of disks are located respectively beneath the plurality of substrate supports without a gap therebetween; (b) supplying a process gas to the plurality of the substrates; and (c) exhausting the process gas. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising: the substrate processing method of claim 17.