# US 9,039,912 B2 · Batch-type remote plasma processing apparatus

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- Number: US 9,039,912 B2
- Document ID: US9039912B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/674,753
- Filed: 2012-11-12
- Published: 2013-03-21
- Granted: 2015-05-26
- Earliest claimed: 2002-01-10
- Assignees: Hitachi Kokusai Electric Inc.
- Applicants: Hitachi Kokusai Electric Inc.
- Inventors: Kazuyuki Toyoda; Yasuhiro Inokuchi; Motonari Takebayashi; Tadashi Kontani; Nobuo Ishimaru
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9039912B2

## CPC

- C23C 16/45578: {Elongated nozzles, tubes with holes}
- 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 16/45525: {Atomic layer deposition [ALD]}
- 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}
- C23C 16/4583: {the substrate being supported substantially horizontally}
- C23C 16/4584: {the substrate being rotated}
- C23C 16/54: Apparatus specially adapted for continuous coating
- H01J 37/32357: {Generation remote from the workpiece, e.g. down-stream}
- H01J 37/3244: {Gas supply means}
- H01J 37/32513: {Sealing means, e.g. sealing between different parts of the vessel}
- H01J 37/32541: {Shape}
- H01J 37/32834: {Exhausting}
- H10D 84/01: Manufacture or treatment
- H10P 14/668: {the materials being characterised by the deposition precursor materials}
- H10P 14/69393: {the material containing tantalum, e.g. Ta2O5}
- H10P 72/0434: {mainly by convection}
- H01J 2237/332: Coating
- 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 14/69215: {the material being a silicon oxide, e.g. SiO2}
- H10P 14/69433: {the material being a silicon nitride not containing oxygen, e.g. SixNy or SixByNz}
- 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)
- H01J: ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS (spark-gaps H01T; electric arc lamps H05B31/00; particle accelerators H05H)
- H10D: INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10

## Abstract

A plasma processing apparatus comprises a processing chamber in which a plurality of substrates are stacked and accommodated; a pair of electrodes extending in the stacking direction of the plurality of substrates, which are disposed at one side of the plurality of substrates in said processing chamber, and to which high frequency electricity is applied; and a gas supply member which supplies processing gas into a space between the pair of electrodes.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device by employing a plasma processing apparatus, the method comprising:
accommodating a plurality of substrates in a processing chamber;
supplying a plurality of types of processing gases in the processing chamber from a gas blowout opening, wherein at least one processing gas is supplied in the processing chamber after activating in an electrical discharging chamber by applying high frequency electricity between a pair of electrodes; and
removing the processing gases from the processing chamber through a gas exhaust opening, wherein
the plasma processing apparatus includes:
a processing tube;
the processing chamber provided in the processing tube;
the electrical discharging chamber having a guttering shape provided in the processing tube, which is a space to activate a processing gas by applying high frequency electricity between the pair of electrodes provided in a direction of stacking the substrates;
the gas blowout opening provided in the electrical discharging chamber to supply an activated processing gas to the processing chamber, wherein the gas blowout opening is provided at only one side of the substrates; and
the gas exhaust opening provided at a circumferential position in the processing tube that is different from the circumferential position in the processing tube of the gas blowout opening, and
when the substrates are accommodated in the processing tube, the substrates are accommodated outside the electrical discharging chamber.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of manufacturing a semiconductor device as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of types of processing gases are alternately supplied in the step of supplying the plurality of types of processing gases.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of manufacturing a semiconductor device as recited in claim 2, wherein the plurality of types of processing gases are dichlorosilane and ammonia.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of manufacturing a semiconductor device as recited in claim 3, wherein activated ammonia is provided in the processing chamber simultaneously with the step of applying the high frequency electricity between the pair of electrodes.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of manufacturing a semiconductor device as recited in claim 1, wherein the processing gases are removed from the exhaust opening provided opposite to the gas blowout opening.

### Claim 6

A method of forming a thin film on a substrate comprising:
accommodating a plurality of substrates in a processing chamber provided in a processing tube;
supplying a first processing gas to the substrates;
removing the first processing gas;
supplying a second processing gas to the substrates; and
removing the second processing gas, wherein
at least one of the first processing gas and the second processing gas is supplied in the processing chamber from a gas blowout opening provided in an electrical discharging chamber at only one side of the substrates after activating in the electrical discharging chamber having a guttering shape provided in the processing tube, by applying high frequency electricity between a pair of electrodes in a direction of stacking the substrates, and
the first processing gas and the second processing gas are removed from a gas exhaust opening provided at a circumferential position in the processing tube that is different from the circumferential position in the processing tube of the gas blowout opening.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method of forming a thin film as recited in claim 6, wherein the thin film is formed by an atomic layer deposition process.

### Claim 8

A method of forming a thin film on a substrate comprising:
accommodating a plurality of substrates in a processing chamber provided in a processing tube;
forming a thin film on the substrates by alternately supplying a first processing gas and a second processing gas to the substrates, wherein at least one of the first processing gas and the second processing gas is supplied in the processing chamber from a gas blowout opening provided in an electrical discharging chamber at only one side of the substrates after activating in the electrical discharging chamber having a guttering shape provided in the processing tube, by applying high frequency electricity between a pair of electrodes in a direction of stacking the substrates; and
removing the first processing gas and the second processing gas from a gas exhaust opening provided at a circumferential position in the processing tube that is different from the circumferential position in the processing tube of the gas blowout opening.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method of forming a thin film as recited in claim 8, further comprising:
after forming the thin film on the substrates, supplying a third processing gas including activated particles activated in the electrical discharging chamber to the processing chamber to eliminate an attachment included in the film formed on the substrates.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method of forming a thin film as recited in claim 9, wherein the activated particles are oxygen radicals.

### Claim 11 (depends on 9)

The method of forming a thin film as recited in claim 9, wherein the attachment is carbon.

### Claim 12 (depends on 9)

The method of forming a thin film as recited in claim 9, wherein the thin film is a tantalum oxide film.

### Claim 13 (depends on 8)

The method of forming a thin film as recited in claim 8, further comprising:
before forming the thin film on the substrates, supplying a third processing gas activated in the electrical discharging chamber to the processing chamber to the substrates to remove a natural oxide film from the surfaces of the substrates.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The method of forming a thin film as recited in claim 13, wherein the thin film is a silicon germanium film.

### Claim 15 (depends on 13)

The method of forming a thin film as recited in claim 13, wherein the third processing gas is hydrogen gas.