Film forming apparatus and method

A film forming apparatus comprising:

• a chamber having a vacuum port to house a processing substrate;
• a film forming device for supplying a film formation gas into said chamber to perform film formation processing for said processing substrate;
• a cleaning device for supplying a cleaning gas into said chamber to clean an interior of said chamber;
• and
• a vacuum device for exhausting gas from said chamber, said vacuum device having a main vacuum line connected to the vacuum port of said chamber, a vacuum pump arranged on said main vacuum line, a bypass line which bypasses part of said main vacuum line, a switching device for selectively opening/closing said main vacuum line and said bypass line to allow the gas in said chamber to flow through one of said lines, a trap for capturing a product generated by the cleaning gas and flowing through said bypass line, a connection device for detachably connecting said trap to said bypass line,
• first and second removing portions provided on the bypass line, between which the trap is provided, so that the trap is removable from the bypass line at said removing portions;
• a device for supplying a nitrogen gas or an inert gas to the removing portion;
• and
• a device provided on the bypass line for preventing the nitrogen gas or inert gas from entering into said trap through the removing portions.

A film forming apparatus comprising:

• a chamber having a vacuum port to house a processing substrate;
• a film forming device for supplying a film formation gas into said chamber to perform film formation processing for said processing substrate;
• a cleaning device for supplying a cleaning gas into said chamber to clean an interior of said chambers;
• a vacuum device for exhausting gas from said chamber;
• said vacuum device having a main vacuum line connected to the vacuum port of said chamber, a high-vacuum pump arranged on an upstream side of said main vacuum line, a coarse control vacuum pump arranged on a downstream side of said main vacuum line, a gas bypass line which is connected to said main vacuum line so as to bypass that high-vacuum pump and which has a first connection portion connected between the vacuum port and said high-vacuum pump and a second connection portion connected between said high-vacuum pump and said coarse control vacuum pump, a trap arranged on said bypass line for capturing the gas, a heater, arranged between the first connection portion at said trap, for heating gas flowing from the first connection portion to said trap, and a switching device for selectively opening/closing said main vacuum line and said bypass line to allow the gas in said chamber to flow through one of said lines;
• first and second removing portions provided on said bypass line, between which the trap is provided, so that the trap is removable from the bypass line at said removing portions;
• a device for supplying nitrogen or an inert gas in said removing portions;
• and
• a device provided on the bypass line for preventing the nitrogen gas or inert gas from entering into said trap through said removing portions.

A method of forming a film, comprising the steps of:

• performing film formation processing for a processing substrate by supplying film formation gas into a chamber;
• performing cleaning processing by supplying a cleaning gas into said chamber after the film formation processing;
• evacuating an interior of said chamber by a vacuum pump through a main vacuum line during the film formation step;
• evacuating the interior of said chamber during the cleaning step through a bypass line which bypasses said vacuum pump and which has a removing portion and a trap;
• heating gas flowing through said bypass line during the cleaning steps;
• filling said removing portion with nitrogen gas or an inert gas after the cleaning step;
• removing said trap from said bypass line;
• and
• cleaning said trap.