# US 9,518,322 B2 · Film formation apparatus and film formation method

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- Number: US 9,518,322 B2
- Document ID: US9518322B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/473,157
- Filed: 2014-08-29
- Published: 2015-04-02
- Granted: 2016-12-13
- Earliest claimed: 2013-10-02
- Assignees: NuFlare Technology, Inc.
- Applicants: Nuflare Technology, Inc.
- Inventors: Hideki Ito; Kunihiko Suzuki; Hidekazu Tsuchida; Isaho Kamata; Masahiko Ito; Hiroaki Fujibayashi; Masami Naito; Ayumu Adachi; Koichi Nishikawa
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9518322B2

## CPC

- C23C 16/466: {using thermal contact gas}
- C23C 16/325: {Silicon carbide}
- C23C 16/45519: {Inert gas curtains}
- C23C 16/45565: {Shower nozzles}
- C23C 16/4586: {Elements in the interior of the support, e.g. electrodes, heating or cooling devices}
- C30B 25/10: Heating of the reaction chamber or the substrate
- C30B 25/14: Feed and outlet means for the gases; Modifying the flow of the reactive gases
- C30B 29/36: Carbides
- 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)
- C30B: SINGLE-CRYSTAL GROWTH (by using ultra-high pressure, e.g. for the formation of diamonds, B01J3/06); UNIDIRECTIONAL SOLIDIFICATION OF EUTECTIC MATERIAL OR UNIDIRECTIONAL DEMIXING OF EUTECTOID MATERIAL; REFINING BY ZONE-MELTING OF MATERIAL (zone-refining of metals or alloys C22B); PRODUCTION OF A HOMOGENEOUS POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITH DEFINED STRUCTURE (casting of metals, casting of other substances by the same processes or devices B22D; working of plastics B29; modifying the physical structure of metals or alloys C21D, C22F); SINGLE CRYSTALS OR HOMOGENEOUS POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITH DEFINED STRUCTURE; AFTER-TREATMENT OF SINGLE CRYSTALS OR A HOMOGENEOUS POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITH DEFINED STRUCTURE (for producing semiconductor devices or parts thereof H10); APPARATUS THEREFOR

## Abstract

A film formation apparatus according to an embodiment includes: a film formation chamber performing film formation on a substrate; a cylindrical liner provided inside of a sidewall of the film formation chamber; a process-gas supply unit provided at a top of the film formation chamber and having a first gas ejection hole supplying a process gas to inside of the liner; a first heater provided outside the liner in the film formation chamber and heating the substrate from above; a second heater heating the substrate from below; and a shielding gas supply unit having a plurality of second gas ejection holes supplying a shielding gas to a position closer to a sidewall of the film formation chamber than a position of the first gas ejection hole.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A film formation apparatus comprising:
a film formation chamber performing film formation on a substrate;
a first cylindrical liner provided inside of a sidewall of the film formation chamber;
a second cylindrical liner provided inside of the sidewall of the film formation chamber, and between the first cylindrical liner and the sidewall of the film formation chamber, an upper end of the second cylindrical liner being connected to the sidewall of the film formation chamber;
a process-gas supply unit provided at a top of the film formation chamber and having a first gas ejection hole supplying a process gas to inside of the first cylindrical liner;
a first heater provided outside of the first cylindrical liner in the film formation chamber and heating the substrate from above;
a second heater heating the substrate from below;
a first shielding gas supply unit having a plurality of second gas ejection holes supplying a first shielding gas to an inside of the first cylindrical liner and supplying the first shielding gas to a position closer to the sidewall of the film formation chamber than a position of the first gas ejection hole; and
a second shielding gas supply unit having a plurality of third gas ejection holes supplying a second shielding gas to a position between the sidewall of the film formation chamber and the second cylindrical liner.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first shielding gas consists of at least one of a hydrogen gas, an argon gas, and a helium gas.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a gas switching unit, wherein the gas switching unit supplies an argon gas when a temperature within the film formation chamber Is increased, and supplies at least one of a hydrogen gas and a helium gas when inside of the film formation chamber is cooled.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a gas switching unit,
wherein the gas switching unit supplies an argon gas when a temperature within the film formation chamber Is increased, and supplies at least one of a hydrogen gas and a helium gas when inside of the film formation chamber is cooled; and
the first shielding gas consists of at least one of a hydrogen gas, an argon gas, and a helium as.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the process-gas supply unit comprises a shower plate arranged horizontally and having a plurality of gas flow paths connected to a plurality of the first gas ejection holes.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the process-gas supply unit supplies a gas including an SIC source gas or an etching gas.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a horizontal position of the second gas ejection hole is between the first gas ejection hole and the liner.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a horizontal position of the second gas ejection hole is closer to a sidewall of the film formation chamber than a position of the first gas ejection hole.

### Claim 9 (depends on 5)

The apparatus of claim 5, wherein
the gas flow path comprises a plurality of first coupling parts supplying the process gas to the process-gas supply unit, and
the film formation apparatus further comprising:
a gas pipe having a plurality of second coupling parts for supplying the process gas to the gas flow path; and
a coupling pipe connecting a part of the first coupling parts to a part of the second coupling parts.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the second gas ejection hole supplies the shielding gas vertically downward.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a closing member closing at least a part of the first gas ejection holes.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a reflector provided below the process-gas supply unit and suppressing heat in the film formation chamber to be transmitted externally.