# US 2013/0252437 A1 · Method of manufacturing semiconductor device, method of processing substrate, substrate processing apparatus, and recording medium > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2013/0252437 A1 - Document ID: US20130252437A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/845,781 - Filed: 2013-03-18 - Published: 2013-09-26 - Earliest claimed: 2012-03-21 - Assignees: Hitachi Kokusai Electric Inc. - Applicants: Hitachi Kokusai Electric Inc. - Inventors: Atsushi SANO; Yoshiro HIROSE; Kiyohiko MAEDA; Kazuyuko OKUDA; Ryuji YAMAMOTO - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130252437A1 ## CPC - H10P 14/6316: {Formation by nitridation, e.g. nitridation of the substrate} - C23C 16/34: Nitrides {(C23C16/303 takes precedence)} - C23C 16/345: {Silicon nitride} - C23C 16/452: by activating reactive gas streams before {their} introduction into the reaction chamber, e.g. by {ionisation} or addition of reactive species - C23C 16/45542: {Plasma being used non-continuously during the ALD reactions} - C23C 16/45546: {specially adapted for a substrate stack in the ALD reactor} - H10P 14/6336: {in the presence of a plasma [PECVD]} - H10P 14/6339: {deposition by cyclic CVD, e.g. ALD, ALE or pulsed CVD} - H10P 14/6682: {the compound being a silane, e.g. disilane, methylsilane or chlorosilane} - H10P 14/69433: {the material being a silicon nitride not containing oxygen, e.g. SixNy or SixByNz} - H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 - 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) ## Abstract A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes forming a thin film on a substrate by performing a cycle a predetermined number of times. The cycle includes supplying a source gas to the substrate, and supplying excited species from each of a plurality of excitation units provided at a side of the substrate to the substrate. Each of the plurality of excitation units generates the excited species by plasma-exciting a reaction gas. In supplying the excited species from each of the plurality of excitation units, an in-plane distribution of the excited species supplied from at least one of the plurality of excitation units in the substrate differs from an in-plane distribution of the excited species supplied from another excitation unit, other than the at least one excitation unit, among the plurality of excitation units, in the substrate. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising forming a thin film on a substrate by performing a cycle a predetermined number of times, the cycle including: supplying a source gas to the substrate; and supplying, to the substrate, excited species from each of a plurality of excitation units provided at a side of the substrate, the excited species being generated by plasma-exciting a reaction gas in each of the plurality of excitation units, wherein in supplying the excited species from each of the plurality of excitation units, an in-plane distribution of the excited species supplied from at least one of the plurality of excitation units in the substrate differs from an in-plane distribution of the excited species supplied from another excitation unit, other than the at least one excitation unit, among the plurality of excitation units, in the substrate. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein in supplying the excited species from each of the plurality of excitation units, the in-plane distribution of the excited species supplied from the at least one excitation unit in the substrate is a distribution in which the excited species reaches a central portion of the substrate, and the in-plane distribution of the excited species supplied from the another excitation unit in the substrate is a distribution in which the excited species reaches another portion of the substrate other than the central portion. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein in supplying the excited species from each of the plurality of excitation units, the in-plane distribution of the excited species supplied from the at least one excitation unit in the substrate is a distribution in which the excited species reaches a central portion of the substrate, and the in-plane distribution of the excited species supplied from the another excitation unit in the substrate is a distribution in which the excited species reaches a peripheral portion of the substrate. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein in supplying the excited species from each of the plurality of excitation units, a supply flow rate of the reaction gas supplied to the at least one excitation unit is greater than a supply flow rate of the reaction gas supplied to the another excitation unit. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein in supplying the excited species from each of the plurality of excitation units, an amount of the excited species supplied from the at least one excitation unit is greater than an amount of the excited species supplied from the another excitation unit. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein in supplying the excited species from each of the plurality of excitation units, a supply time of the reaction gas supplied to the at least one excitation unit is longer than a supply time of the reaction gas supplied to the another excitation unit. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein in supplying the excited species from each of the plurality of excitation units, a supply time of the excited species supplied from the at least one excitation unit is longer than a supply time of the excited species supplied from the another excitation unit. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein in supplying the excited species from each of the plurality of excitation units, an electric power applied to the at least one excitation unit for plasma-exciting the reaction gas in the at least one excitation unit is greater than an electric power applied to the another excitation unit for plasma-exciting the reaction gas in the another excitation unit. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein in supplying the excited species from each of the plurality of excitation units, a type of the reaction gas supplied to the at least one excitation unit differs from a type of the reaction gas supplied to the another excitation unit. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein an opening area of a supply hole for supplying the excited species from the at least one excitation unit differs from an opening area of a supply hole for supplying the excited species from the another excitation unit. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein a supply hole for supplying the excited species from the at least one excitation unit is formed in a direction in which the excited species flows toward a central portion of the substrate, and a supply hole for supplying the excited species from the another excitation unit is formed in a direction in which the excited species flows toward a peripheral portion of the substrate. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein in supplying the excited species from each of the plurality of excitation units, a condition for generating the excited species supplied from the at least one excitation unit differs from a condition for generating the excited species supplied from the another excitation unit. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein in supplying the excited species from each of the plurality of excitation units, a supply condition for supplying the excited species from the at least one excitation unit differs from a supply condition for supplying the excited species from the another excitation unit. ### Claim 14 A method of processing a substrate, comprising forming a thin film on the substrate by performing a cycle a predetermined number of times, the cycle including: supplying a source gas to the substrate; and supplying, to the substrate, excited species from each of a plurality of excitation units provided at a side of the substrate, the excited species being generated by plasma-exciting a reaction gas in each of the plurality of excitation units, wherein in supplying the excited species from each of the plurality of excitation units, an in-plane distribution of the excited species supplied from at least one of the plurality of excitation units in the substrate differs from an in-plane distribution of the excited species supplied from another excitation unit, other than the at least one excitation unit, among the plurality of excitation units, in the substrate. ### Claim 15 A substrate processing apparatus, comprising: a processing chamber configured to accommodate a substrate; a source gas supply system configured to supply a source gas into the processing chamber; a plurality of excitation units, each of the plurality of excitation units provided at a side of the substrate inside the processing chamber and configured to plasma-excite a reaction gas; a reaction gas supply system configured to supply the reaction gas to each of the plurality of excitation units; and a controller configured to control the source gas supply system, the reaction gas supply system, and each of the plurality of excitation units such that a thin film is formed on the substrate by performing a cycle a predetermined number of times, the cycle including: supplying the source gas to the substrate inside the processing chamber; and supplying the excited species to the substrate inside the processing chamber from each of the plurality of excitation units provided at the side of the substrate, the excited species being generated by plasma-exciting the reaction gas in each of the plurality of excitation units, wherein in supplying the excited species from each of the plurality of excitation units, an in-plane distribution of the excited species supplied from at least one of the plurality of excitation units in the substrate differs from an in-plane distribution of the excited species supplied from another excitation unit, other than the at least one excitation unit, among the plurality of excitation units, in the substrate. ### Claim 16 A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a program that causes a computer to perform a process that forms a thin film on a substrate by performing a cycle a predetermined number of times, the cycle including: supplying a source gas to the substrate inside a processing chamber of a substrate processing apparatus; and supplying excited species to the substrate inside the processing chamber from each of a plurality of excitation units provided at a side of the substrate, the excited species being generated by plasma-exciting a reaction gas in each of the plurality of excitation units, wherein in supplying the excited species from each of the plurality of excitation units, an in-plane distribution of the excited species supplied from at least one of the plurality of excitation units in the substrate differs from an in-plane distribution of the excited species supplied from another excitation unit, other than the at least one excitation unit, among the plurality of excitation units, in the substrate.