JPH10223620A - Semiconductor manufacturing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the occurrence of metallic contaminants and particles by forming the facing section of a vacuum treating vessel facing the supporting member of the container and the supporting member of highly pure aluminum or aluminum alloy. SOLUTION: A vacuum treatment container 3 is constituted of a sidewall 3b provided with a gate valve 11 for carrying in-out a semiconductor wafer 1, a facing section 3a provided with a gas head 9 and constitutes the ceiling wall of the container 3, and a floor section 3c on which a supporting table 5 is positioned. The facing section 3a, sidewall 3b, and floor section 3c are made of highly pure aluminum or aluminum alloy. Therefore, when the wafer 1 is heat-treated, the occurrence of metallic contaminants in the container 3 can be prevented, because the deposition of metallic impurities in the container 3 can be prevented, and, at the same time, the quantity of particles adhering to the wafer 1 can be reduced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a semiconductor manufacturing technique, and more particularly to a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus for preventing generation of precipitates in a processing vessel when a semiconductor wafer is subjected to a heat treatment.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The technology described below studies the present invention,
Upon completion, they were examined by the inventor, and the outline is as follows.

[0003] In a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus for performing processing by heating only a semiconductor wafer (substrate) to a reaction temperature, that is, a cold-wall type semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, a vapor phase growth apparatus (a film forming apparatus is also an example) of this semiconductor manufacturing apparatus. ) And the heat treatment apparatus are formed of a metal such as SUS (stainless steel) or aluminum.

[0004] Among them, SUS is relatively widely used because it can be welded and requires less cost. However, in order to pursue temperature uniformity of a semiconductor wafer at the time of processing, SUS is used. SUS, which has low conductivity, is not suitable and aluminum is used instead.

[0005] However, it is difficult to weld aluminum, and when manufacturing a processing container, it is necessary to cut out the aluminum block.

Therefore, when selecting the type of aluminum, it is a criterion to select a material having high hardness and high workability. However, when aluminum or an aluminum alloy containing a large amount of metal impurities is used, the metal is heated. Impurities precipitate in the reaction atmosphere, causing metal contamination of semiconductor wafers and generation of particles.

[0007] Various techniques for preventing particles in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus are described, for example, in Press Journal Inc., published on March 20, 1993, "Monthly Semiconductor World, April 1993", pp. 65-104. ing.

[0008]

However, in the above-described technology, when a processing vessel or a susceptor (supporting member) is formed using aluminum of A5000 series specified by JIS standard (Japanese Industrial Standard), heat treatment is difficult. There is a problem that metal impurities are deposited in the processing container and become particles.

That is, since aluminum of the A5000 series is an alloy composed of aluminum and magnesium, magnesium is precipitated in the processing vessel during the heat treatment, and this deposits as particles and adheres to the semiconductor wafer. It is a problem that the metal adheres to the inner wall of the metal and causes metal contamination.

An object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus which reduces metal contamination and generation of particles when a semiconductor wafer is heated in a processing vessel.

The above and other objects and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the description of the present specification and the accompanying drawings.

[0012]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Among the inventions disclosed in the present application, the outline of a representative one will be briefly described.
It is as follows.

That is, the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus of the present invention heats a semiconductor wafer and performs processing on the semiconductor wafer. The processing vessel for processing the semiconductor wafer in an atmosphere cut off from the outside air; A support provided with a support member for supporting the semiconductor wafer, heating means for heating the semiconductor wafer, gas supply means for supplying a processing gas into the processing container, and vacuum evacuation means for evacuating the processing container. Wherein the facing portion of the processing container facing the support member and the support member are formed of high-purity aluminum or a high-purity aluminum alloy.

Thus, when the semiconductor wafer is subjected to the heat treatment, the deposition of metal impurities can be prevented even when the temperature of the facing portion of the processing vessel or the supporting member becomes high.

Therefore, the generation of particles due to metal impurities can be reduced. As a result, metal contamination in the processing chamber can be reduced, and the amount of particles adhering to the semiconductor wafer can be reduced. Further, reliability in the heat treatment of the semiconductor wafer can be improved.

Further, the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus of the present invention heats a semiconductor wafer and performs processing on the semiconductor wafer. The processing vessel for processing the semiconductor wafer in an atmosphere cut off from the outside air; A support provided with a support member for supporting the semiconductor wafer, heating means for heating the semiconductor wafer, gas supply means for supplying a processing gas into the processing container, and vacuum evacuation means for evacuating the processing container. ,
A gas guide member that is provided at an opposing portion of the processing container that faces the support member, and that diffuses and guides the processing gas to the semiconductor wafer supported by the support member; The facing portion, the support member, and the gas guide member are made of high-purity aluminum or a high-purity aluminum alloy.

Further, in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, the purity of aluminum in the aluminum or the aluminum alloy is 99% or more.

[0018]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an example of an embodiment of a structure of a vapor phase growth apparatus which is a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention.

The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus described in the present embodiment heats the semiconductor wafer 1 in a gaseous atmosphere. As an example, the semiconductor wafer 1 is heated and formed on the semiconductor wafer 1. A vapor phase growth apparatus for growing a predetermined thin film will be described.

Further, in the present embodiment, a vapor phase growth apparatus for forming a plasma 4 in a vacuum processing vessel 3 (processing vessel), which is a reaction furnace, and heating the semiconductor wafer 1 will be described.

The configuration of the vapor phase growth apparatus will be described. A vacuum processing vessel 3 in which the semiconductor wafer 1 is subjected to a heat treatment in an atmosphere cut off from the outside air, and a susceptor 5a (support member) for supporting the semiconductor wafer 1 are provided. Support 5
And a heater 6 as heating means for heating the semiconductor wafer 1
A gas supply unit 7 for supplying the reaction gas 2 (processing gas) into the vacuum processing container 3; a vacuum pump 8 serving as a vacuum exhaust unit for evacuating the vacuum processing container 3;
A gas head 9 (gas guide member) for dispersing and guiding the reaction gas 2 to the semiconductor wafer 1 supported by the susceptor 5a and installed on the facing portion 3a facing the susceptor 5a; And an opposing portion 3a of the vacuum processing container 3.
The susceptor 5a and the gas head 9 are made of high-purity aluminum or a high-purity aluminum alloy.

The vacuum processing vessel 3 of the vapor phase growth apparatus according to the present embodiment comprises a side wall 3b on which a gate valve 11 for carrying in and out the semiconductor wafer 1 is mounted, and a ceiling wall on which a gas head 9 is mounted. A facing portion 3a and a floor portion 3c on which the support base 5 is installed;
a and the side wall 3b, and the floor 3c and the side wall 3b are sealed by an O-ring 3f.

In this embodiment, the facing portion 3a, the side wall 3b, and the floor 3c of the vacuum processing container 3 are formed of high-purity aluminum or a high-purity aluminum alloy.

That is, the entire vacuum processing vessel 3 is formed of high-purity aluminum or a high-purity aluminum alloy.

The gas head 9 according to the present embodiment diffuses the introduced reaction gas 2 onto the semiconductor wafer 1 and guides it.

That is, the gas head 9 is provided with a plurality of small holes 9c, and the introduced reaction gas 2 is uniformly supplied to the entire surface of the semiconductor wafer 1 through the plurality of small holes 9c. .

The facing portion 3a of the vacuum processing container 3 has
A guide passage 3d for the reaction gas 2 is provided, and a guide passage 3d for the opposing portion 3a is provided on the outer exposed surface 3e of the opposing portion 3a.
An external gas head 9a (gas guide member) provided with a guide passage 9b for guiding the reactant gas 2 is attached to the outside.

That is, the reaction gas 2 supplied from the gas supply means 7 reaches the external gas head 9a, and then reaches the gas head 9 through the guide passage 9b and the guide passage 3d of the facing portion 3a. . Further, it reaches the vicinity of the surface of the semiconductor wafer 1 through a plurality of small holes 9 c provided in the gas head 9.

In the present embodiment, the gas head 9 and the external gas head 9a are also made of high-purity aluminum or a high-purity aluminum alloy.

Here, the gas head 9 and the external gas head 9a may be called a shower head.

In this embodiment, the aluminum or aluminum alloy used for the vacuum processing vessel 3, the gas head 9, the external gas head 9a, and the susceptor 5a has high purity with a very small content of metal impurities. Preferably, the purity of aluminum is 99%.
% Or more.

That is, A10 specified in the JIS standard
It is preferable to use the 00s aluminum or aluminum alloy.

The aluminum or aluminum alloy of the A1000 series includes, for example, A1080
(Aluminum purity: 9.9.8% or more), A1070 (aluminum purity: 9.9.7% or more), A1050 (aluminum purity: 9.9.5% or more), A1100 (aluminum purity: 99.00% or more), and the like.

The heater 6 is mounted on the support table 5 in the vacuum processing vessel 3 and heats the semiconductor wafer 1 to a predetermined temperature. In the present embodiment, the heater 6 is connected to the susceptor 5a via the susceptor 5a. The semiconductor wafer 1 is heated.

Further, the susceptor 5a supports the semiconductor wafer 1 and transfers heat from the heater 6 to the semiconductor wafer 1.
This is a heat equalizing plate that transmits the heat uniformly over the entire surface.

Thus, the entire surface of the semiconductor wafer 1 is heated substantially uniformly.

Further, since the vapor phase growth apparatus of the present embodiment forms the plasma 4 and heat-treats the semiconductor wafer 1, the upper and lower electrodes which are arranged to face each other and are paired with each other are formed. The high frequency oscillator 10 is electrically connected to either the upper electrode or the lower electrode.

Here, in the vapor phase growth apparatus, the gas head 9 is the upper electrode and the lower electrode is the susceptor 5a.
It is. Therefore, the high frequency oscillator 10
Are electrically connected, and the susceptor 5a is electrically connected to the ground.

When a high frequency is applied to the gas head 9 by the high frequency oscillator 10 in a predetermined atmosphere,
Plasma 4 can be formed between gas head 9 and semiconductor wafer 1.

The gas head 9 and the external gas head 9a
May be integrally formed, and in that case, the high frequency oscillator 10 may be connected to the external gas head 9a.

The outer peripheral end of the gas head 9 is covered with a shield member 12 made of quartz or the like.

Here, the shield member 12 regulates the region where the plasma 4 is formed, and is fixed to the facing portion 3a of the vacuum processing container 3 by a plurality of screw members 13 or the like.

That is, in the vacuum processing container 3, the shield member 12 is attached so as to form the plasma 4 only on the semiconductor wafer 1, and the upper corner portion in the vacuum processing container 3 when the plasma 4 is formed. Abnormal discharge can be prevented.

The screw member 13 is also preferably formed of the same high-purity (99% or more purity) aluminum or aluminum alloy as the vacuum processing container 3 and the like.

A method for processing semiconductor wafer 1 using the vapor phase growth apparatus of the present embodiment will be described.

In this embodiment, a case will be described in which an O ₂ gas is used as the reaction gas 2 and an oxide film formed on the semiconductor wafer 1 is grown.

However, as long as the reaction gas 2 does not adversely affect the high-purity aluminum or aluminum alloy (does not react with aluminum) according to the processing performed on the semiconductor wafer 1, TEOS (tri-ethyl.
Other reaction gas 2 such as ortho-silicate gas or monosilane gas may be used.

First, the susceptor 5 a is
Heat to 00-400 ° C.

Further, nitrogen gas as a purge gas is supplied from the gas supply means 7 into the vacuum processing vessel 3 through the gas inlet 9d of the external gas head 9a, and is evacuated by the vacuum pump 8 through the exhaust port 3g. And the degree of vacuum in the vacuum processing vessel 3 is increased by several Torr, for example,
orr.

After that, the semiconductor wafer 1 is carried into the vacuum processing vessel 3 via the gate valve 11, and the semiconductor wafer 1 is placed on the susceptor 5a heated to a predetermined temperature.

Subsequently, the supply of the nitrogen gas is stopped, and thereafter, the O ₂ gas, which is the reaction gas 2, is supplied into the vacuum processing vessel 3 by the gas supply means 7 through the same route as that for the nitrogen gas.

Further, a high frequency of 13.56 MHz is applied to the gas head 9 by the high frequency oscillator 10.

Thus, plasma 4 is formed on semiconductor wafer 1 in an O ₂ atmosphere, and an oxide film on semiconductor wafer 1 can be grown.

According to the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus (vapor phase growth apparatus) of the present embodiment, the following operational effects can be obtained.

That is, at least the susceptor 5a of the vacuum processing vessel 3 in which the semiconductor wafer 1 is subjected to the heat treatment (in the present embodiment, the treatment for growing the oxide film formed on the semiconductor wafer 1) is performed. Since the portion 3a and the susceptor 5a are formed of high-purity aluminum or a high-purity aluminum alloy,
When the semiconductor wafer 1 is heated, the deposition of metal impurities can be prevented even when the temperature of the facing portion 3a and the susceptor 5a of the vacuum processing container 3 becomes high.

As a result, generation of particles due to metal impurities can be reduced. As a result, metal contamination in the vacuum processing container 3 can be reduced, and the amount of particles adhering to the semiconductor wafer 1 can be reduced. .

Therefore, the reliability of the heat treatment of the semiconductor wafer 1 can be improved.

In addition to the susceptor 5a, not only the facing portion 3a of the vacuum processing container 3 but also the entire vacuum processing container 3, the gas head 9 and the external gas head 9a are formed of high-purity aluminum or a high-purity aluminum alloy. Thereby, generation of particles due to metal impurities can be further reduced, and as a result, the amount of particles adhering to semiconductor wafer 1 can be further reduced.

Further, since the purity of aluminum in aluminum or aluminum alloy is 99% or more, it is possible to almost eliminate the generation of particles due to metal impurities, and as a result, the generation of metal contamination in the vacuum processing vessel 3 And the amount of particles adhering to the semiconductor wafer 1 can be greatly reduced.

Thus, the reliability of the heat treatment of the semiconductor wafer 1 can be further improved.

Although the invention made by the inventor has been specifically described based on the embodiments of the present invention, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments of the invention, and does not depart from the gist of the invention. It is needless to say that various changes can be made.

For example, the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus in the above-described embodiment is a vapor phase growth apparatus in which an oxide film formed on a semiconductor wafer is subjected to heat treatment using plasma to grow this oxide film. The apparatus may not use the plasma 4 (see FIG. 1) as in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus (vapor phase growth apparatus) of another embodiment shown in FIG.

That is, the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG.
Although the basic configuration is the same as that of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 1,
Since the apparatus does not form the plasma 4, the high-frequency oscillator 10 as shown in FIG. 1 is not connected.

However, the structure is exactly the same as that of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 except that the high-frequency oscillator 10 is not connected.

Therefore, also in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 2, the entire vacuum processing vessel 3 including the facing portion 3a, the susceptor 5a, the gas head 9, and the external gas head 9a are made of high-purity aluminum or aluminum alloy. Preferably, it is formed of aluminum or aluminum alloy having a purity of 99% or more.

Further, the processing method of the semiconductor wafer 1 using the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 2 is exactly the same as that of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 except that the plasma 4 is used.

Thus, the same operation and effect as those of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 can be obtained by the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG.

In the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus of the embodiment (FIG. 1) and the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus of the other embodiment (FIG. 2), the gas head 9 and the external gas The head 9a is provided, but the gas head 9 and the external gas head 9a are provided.
May not necessarily be provided.

That is, if a plurality of small holes 9c are provided in the facing portion 3a of the vacuum processing container 3 so that the reactive gas 2 can be diffused and guided to the semiconductor wafer 1, the gas head 9 and the external The gas head 9a can be removed.

In this case, it is sufficient that at least the susceptor 5a and the facing portion 3a of the vacuum processing vessel 3 are made of high-purity aluminum or aluminum alloy, preferably aluminum or aluminum alloy having a purity of 99% or more.

Further, in the above embodiment and the other embodiments, the case where the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is a vapor phase growth apparatus has been described. However, the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus performs a film forming process on a semiconductor wafer. A film apparatus or a heat treatment apparatus for performing heat treatment on a semiconductor wafer may be used.

In the case of a film forming apparatus, the present invention can be applied to a plasma CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) apparatus for forming a plasma in a processing chamber and forming a film on a semiconductor wafer.

Here, the film forming apparatus, the heat treatment apparatus, and the plasma CVD apparatus can use the basic structure of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 or 2 as it is.

Further, in the vapor phase growth apparatus of the embodiment (FIG. 1), the high frequency is applied to the gas
Although the case where the voltage is applied to the external gas head 9a has been described, the high frequency oscillator 10 is electrically connected to the susceptor 5a so that the high frequency oscillator can be applied to the susceptor 5a even if the high frequency is applied to the susceptor 5a. Similar processing can be performed.

Further, the members formed of high-purity aluminum or aluminum alloy are not limited to the vacuum processing vessel 3, the gas head 9 (including the external gas head 9a) and the susceptor 5a. , For example, the screw member 13 (see FIG. 1).

[0077]

Advantageous effects obtained by typical ones of the inventions disclosed by the present application will be briefly described as follows.
It is as follows.

(1). When the semiconductor wafer is subjected to a heat treatment, the deposition of metal impurities in the processing container is performed by forming the facing portion facing the supporting member of the processing container and the supporting member from high-purity aluminum or a high-purity aluminum alloy. Can be prevented. Thus, metal contamination in the processing container can be reduced, and the amount of particles adhering to the semiconductor wafer can be reduced. As a result, reliability in the heat treatment of the semiconductor wafer can be improved.

(2). The generation of particles due to metal impurities is further reduced by forming high-purity aluminum or a high-purity aluminum alloy not only for the support member but also for the opposing portion of the processing container, and the entire processing container and the gas guide member. And as a result,
The amount of particles adhering to the semiconductor wafer can be further reduced.

(3). When the purity of aluminum in aluminum or an aluminum alloy is 99% or more, the occurrence of metal contamination in the processing chamber and the amount of particles adhering to the semiconductor wafer can be significantly reduced. As a result, reliability in the heat treatment of the semiconductor wafer can be further improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an example of an embodiment of a structure of a vapor phase growth apparatus which is a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a structure of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus (vapor phase growth apparatus) according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Semiconductor wafer 2 Reaction gas (processing gas) 3 Vacuum processing container (processing container) 3a Opposing part 3b Side wall 3c Floor 3d Guide passage 3e Externally exposed surface 3f O-ring 3g Exhaust port 4 Plasma 5 Support base 5a Susceptor (support member) Reference Signs List 6 heater (heating means) 7 gas supply means 8 vacuum pump (vacuum exhaust means) 9 gas head (gas guide member) 9a external gas head (gas guide member) 9b guide passage 9c small hole 9d gas inlet 10 high frequency oscillator 11 gate Valve 12 Shield member 13 Screw member

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus for heating a semiconductor wafer to process the semiconductor wafer, comprising: a processing container in which the semiconductor wafer is processed in an atmosphere isolated from outside air; and a support member for supporting the semiconductor wafer. And a heating unit for heating the semiconductor wafer; a gas supply unit for supplying a processing gas into the processing container; and a vacuum exhaust unit for evacuating the processing container. A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, wherein a facing portion of the processing container facing the support member and the support member are formed of high-purity aluminum or a high-purity aluminum alloy. 2. A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus for heating a semiconductor wafer to perform processing thereon, comprising: a processing container in which the processing of the semiconductor wafer is performed in an atmosphere cut off from the outside air; and a support member for supporting the semiconductor wafer. A heating unit for heating the semiconductor wafer; a gas supply unit for supplying a processing gas into the processing container; a vacuum exhaust unit for evacuating the processing container; A gas guide member that is provided at a facing portion facing the support member and diffuses and guides the processing gas to the semiconductor wafer supported by the support member; and A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, wherein the support member and the gas guide member are formed of high-purity aluminum or a high-purity aluminum alloy. 3. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said processing container is made of high-purity aluminum or a high-purity aluminum alloy. 4. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said aluminum or said aluminum alloy has an aluminum purity of 99% or more. 5. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is a film forming apparatus for performing a film forming process on the semiconductor wafer or a heat processing apparatus for performing a heat treatment on the semiconductor wafer. Semiconductor manufacturing equipment. 6. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein plasma is formed in the processing chamber to perform processing on the semiconductor wafer. .