Substrate treating apparatus and semiconductor device manufacturing method

A substrate treating apparatus comprising:

• a processing chamber for storing and processing a substrate;
• a preliminary chamber continuously arranged to the processing chamber;
• a substrate holding jig mechanism for carrying in and/or carrying out a substrate holding jig for holding multiple substrates to and from the processing chamber;
• an inert gas supply port for supplying inert gas to the preliminary chamber;
• a first exhaust port provided in the preliminary chamber at a position higher than the inert gas supply port for exhausting the inert gas;
• a second exhaust port separate from the first exhaust port and provided in the preliminary chamber at a position lower than the first exhaust port;
• and
• a controller for regulating the pressure within the preliminary chamber during exhaust from the second exhaust port, to a pressure lower than the pressure within the preliminary chamber during exhaust from the first exhaust port.

A semiconductor device manufacturing method using a substrate treating apparatus comprising a processing chamber for storing and processing a substrate;

• a preliminary chamber continuously arranged to the processing chamber;
• a substrate holding jig mechanism for carrying in and/or carrying out a substrate holding jig for holding multiple substrates to and from the processing chamber;
• an inert gas supply port for supplying inert gas to the preliminary chamber;
• a first exhaust port provided in the preliminary chamber at a position higher than the inert gas supply port for exhausting the inert gas;
• a second exhaust port for drawing a vacuum in the preliminary chamber;
• and a controller for performing control so that the inert gas supplied from the inert gas supply port is exhausted only from the first exhaust port, while maintaining the preliminary chamber drawn a vacuum from the second exhaust port at a specified pressure after rising of the pressure;
• and the method comprising:
• a step for carrying the substrate holding jig holding multiple substrates into the processing chamber from the preliminary chamber and/or carrying out from the processing chamber into the preliminary chamber while exhausting from only the first exhaust port, the inert gas flowing upwards, supplied from the inert gas supply port in the preliminary chamber;
• and
• a step for processing the substrates in the processing chamber.