US 6,207,006 B1Granted

Vacuum processing apparatus

AssigneeTokyo Electron Limited

InventorSusumu Katoh

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Abstract

The vacuum processing apparatus of the present invention comprises a process chamber in which predetermined processing is performed on a target object in a predetermined vacuum condition, a mount stage provided in the process chamber, for mounting thereon the target object, a shower head provided so as to oppose to the mount stage, for supplying a process gas in the process chamber, an exhaust path provided in a housing forming the process chamber, and extending so as to surround the mount stage outside the mount stage, an exhaust port formed around the mount stage, for connecting the exhaust path with the process chamber, a porous member provided at the exhaust port so as to partition the exhaust path and the process chamber from each other, and having a plurality of ventilation holes for making the exhaust path communicating with the process chamber, branching means for branching a gas flowing from the process chamber through the ventilation holes of the porous member, into a plurality of directions, such that the gas flows to the exhaust path, a plurality of upper exhaust pipes extending in an upper side of the process chamber and communicating with the exhaust path, and a lower exhaust pipe extending toward a lower side of the process chamber and communicating with all the upper exhaust pipes.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A vacuum processing apparatus comprising:

a process chamber in which predetermined processing is performed on a target object in a predetermined vacuum condition;
a mount stage provided in the process chamber, for mounting thereon the target object;
a shower head provided so as to oppose to the mount stage, for supplying a process gas in the process chamber;
an exhaust path provided in a housing forming the process chamber, and extending so as to surround the mount stage outside the mount stage;
an exhaust port formed around the mount stage, for connecting the exhaust path with the process chamber;
a porous member provided at the exhaust port so as to partition the exhaust path and the process chamber from each other, and having a plurality of ventilation holes for making the exhaust path communicating with the process chamber;
branching means, provided at a communicating portion of the exhaust path, which communicates with the process chamber, in such a way as to provide a plurality of exhaust routes in the housing, for dividing a gas flowing from the process chamber through the ventilation holes of the porous member, into gases in a plurality of directions within the housing, such that the gases flow to the exhaust path through the plurality of exhaust routes;
a plurality of upper exhaust pipes extending in a region located above the process chamber and communicating with the exhaust path;
and
a lower exhaust pipe extending toward a region located below the process chamber and communicating with all the upper exhaust pipes,
wherein the gases from the branching means flow through the upper exhaust pipes into the lower exhaust pipe, and are combined by the lower exhaust pipe, and then exhausted therefrom toward the region located below the process chamber.

8 more elements

A vacuum processing apparatus comprising:

a process chamber in which predetermined processing is performed on a target object in a predetermined vacuum condition;
a mount stage provided in the process chamber, on which said target object is to be mounted;
a shower head for supplying a process gas into the process chamber, the shower head comprises (i) a head body fixed to a housing forming the process chamber, (ii) a porous disk located opposite to the mount stage, and connected to the head body such that the porous disk is movable up and down relative to the head body, the porous disk having a plurality of holes for use in injecting a process gas, and (iii) a diffusion chamber for making the process gas flow uniformly into the process chamber, the diffusion chamber being provided between the head body and the porous disk such that the diffusion chamber is partitioned by the head body and the porous disk;
and
an elevation mechanism for moving up and down the porous disk relative to the head body, thereby changing a distance between the porous disk and the mount stage.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.