US 5,494,494 A · Integrated module multi-chamber CVD processing system and its method for processing substrates

Abstract

In a CVD processing system for depositing a blanket tungsten film, a distinct shadow is formed without causing any micro-peeling when the substrate fixture is separated from the substrate so as to prevent any blanket tungsten from being deposited on SiO.sub.2, thus reducing the occurrence of fine dust particles. A CVD processing system for depositing a blanket tungsten film, includes a susceptor (4); a ring chuck (9) for affixing the peripheral portion of a substrate (3) on the susceptor; reactive gas supply mechanisms (17, 18 and 19) for supplying reactive gas; and an exhaust mechanism (2) for exhausting unreacted gas and the like, wherein: the ring chuck has at least three point contact members (10) in contact with the peripheral portion of the substrate; the point contact members are provided at positions outside the inner periphery of the ring chuck; a gap (11) is formed at the point contact members between the ring chuck and the substrate; and purge gas supply mechanisms (20 and 21) are provided to blow off purge gas through the gap in order to prevent reactive gas from entering the gap (11). A ratio of the size of the gap to the flow rate of purge gas is set to such an optimum value as to satisfy a condition in which the position of the peripheral portion of the thin film coincides with the position of the inner periphery of the ring chuck.

Claims25

Dependent claims

A method of CVD processing in an integrated multi-chamber CVD processing system, comprising:

providing at least three CVD processing vacuum vessels, each of which are set up for conducting a same CVD process;
transferring substrates to and from said CVD processing vacuum vessels with means capable of transferring two substrates simultaneously;
conducting the same CVD process in each of said CVD processing vacuum vessels;
and
sequentially taking said each of said CVD vacuum processing vessels out of service for temporary servicing after a time period in which a film develops within said each of said CVD vacuum processing vessels, wherein the temporary servicing takes less time than said time period;
wherein the CVD processing vacuum vessels are only used for the same CVD process.

3 more elements

In an integrated multi-chamber CVD processing system comprising n units of CVD processing vacuum vessels (P1), P(2), P(3), through P(n-1), and P(n), wherein n.gtoreq.3;

an articulated robot for storing at least two substrates within a substrate-transferring vacuum vessel which is positioned at a center of the CVD processing vacuum vessels;
and circulating passages in which a heating medium is circulated on an outer wall of each of the CVD processing vacuum vessels, a method for processing substrates comprising the steps of:
(a) starting to process said substrates in CVD processing vacuum vessels P(1) to P(n);
(b) performing a first maintenance work after Wm substrates are processed in P(1), Wm-Wc substrates are processed in P(2), through Wm-(k-1)Wc substrates in P(k), and Wm-(n-1)Wc substrates in P(n), respectively;
(c) performing an Nth maintenance work after Wm+Wm+Wc+(Wm+Wc) (N-1) substrates are processed in P(1) , Wm+(Wm+Wc) (N-1) substrates are processed in P(2), through Wm-(k-1)Wc+(Wm+Wc) (N-1) substrates in P(k), and Wm-(n-1) Wc+(Wm+Wc) (N-1) substrates in P(n) respectively;
and
wherein:
maintenance work for each of said CVD processing vacuum vessels is performed within a maintenance work time Tm, where Wm is a number of substrates to be processed before maintenance work is started, We, being derived from Wc=Tm/t, is a number of substrates to be processed in one of the CVD processing vacuum vessels while maintenance work for another of the CVD processing vacuum vessels is being performed, and t is the time which is required for one of the substrates to be fed from a load/unload-lock vacuum vessel, processed in a CVD processing vacuum vessel, and returned to the load/unload-lock vacuum vessel, and where N represents a number of maintenance works performed.

5 more elements

In an integrated multi-chamber CVD processing system comprising n units of CVD processing vacuum vessels P(1), P(2), P(3), P(k), through P(n-1), and P(n), wherein n.gtoreq.3;

an articulated robot for storing at least two substrates within a substrate-transferring vacuum vessel which is positioned at a center of said CVD processing vacuum vessels;
and circulating passages in which a heating medium is circulated in each of the CVD processing vacuum vessels, a method for processing substrates comprising the following steps of:
(a) processing substrates in CVD processing vacuum vessels GP(1) to GP(Nu) in one group of the CVD processing vacuum vessels {GP(1), GP(2), through GP(Nu) and GP(Nu+1)}, among G groups;
(b) stopping processing in the CVD processing vacuum vessel GP(1) and at the same time, starting to process in the CVD processing vacuum vessel GP(Nu+1) when a number of processed substrates reaches Wc while processing in the CVD vacuum processing vessels GP(2) to GP(Nu) is continued, and then, stopping processing in the CVD processing vacuum vessel GP(2) to start processing in the CVD processing vacuum vessel GP(1) when a number of processed substrates reaches 2.times.We, and this processing being continued until a number of processed substrates reaches (Nu-1).times.Wc in the CVD processing vacuum vessel GP(Nu+1);
(c) starting maintenance work in the CVD processing vacuum vessel GP(Nu) when Wm substrates have been processed therein;
(d) performing said maintenance work on the CVD processing vacuum vessel GP(Nu) within a first maintenance work time period Tm;
(e) after the first time period Tm, starting maintenance work for the CVD processing vacuum vessel GP (Nu+1) to complete maintenance work in the CVD processing vacuum vessel GP(Nu+1) within a next time period Tm, and after the next time period Tm, starting maintenance work for the CVD processing vacuum vessel GP(1), and a respective maintenance work being performed simultaneously for each group of the CVD processing vacuum vessels;
and
(f) repeating steps (a) through (e);
(g) substrates in all the remaining CVD processing vacuum vessels RP being continued to be processed until the number Wm of substrates is reached, while substrates are processed by the CVD processing vacuum vessels of each group of CVD processing vacuum vessels, and performing maintenance work for all of R units of the CVD processing vacuum vessels when the number Wm of substrates is reached, where:
a number of processed substrates Wc is derived from Wc=Tm/t, where t is a time required for one substrate to be fed from a load/unload lock vacuum vessel, processed in a CVD processing vacuum vessel, and returned to the load/unload lock vacuum vessel, Tm is a period of time, and a number Nu of useful processing vacuum vessels is derived from Nu=Wm/Wc, where Wm is a number of substrates to be processed before maintenance work is required, and Nu>2, and, a number G of the group is derived from G=n/(Nu+1), and, a number of remaining CVD processing vacuum vessels RP is R, where O.ltoreq.R<Nu+1.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Integrated module multi-chamber CVD processing system and its method for processing substrates

Life of this patent

Integrated module multi-chamber CVD processing system and its method for processing substrates

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims25