1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device and a method using the same. More particularly, the present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for performing a thermal treatment process, such as a diffusion or deposition process, and a method of performing the thermal treatment process using the apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
A thermal treatment apparatus is used for performing a thermal diffusion process or a deposition process in the manufacture of a semiconductor device. Recently, a vertically arranged thermal treatment apparatus capable of simultaneously performing a thermal treatment process on a plurality of wafers has been used.
A conventional vertically arranged substrate processing apparatus includes a reaction chamber and a heater chamber surrounding the reaction chamber. A stand-by chamber is arranged under the reaction chamber. In operation, wafers are loaded on a boat in the stand-by chamber. A scavenger is arranged around a bottom end, i.e., an entrance, of the reaction chamber and the heater chamber is provided on the scavenger. The scavenger exhausts thermal atmosphere around the entrance of the reaction chamber to the outside. The boat ascends and descends between an interior of the reaction chamber and the stand-by chamber through the entrance of the reaction chamber.
During a deposition process, process conditions, such as process temperature and process pressure, in the reaction chamber significantly affect deposition thickness and deposition uniformity. The actual temperature of the interior of the reaction chamber is changed by various variables other than an amount of heat supplied by the heater chamber. These other variables may include an amount of thermal atmosphere exhausted from the scavenger and a temperature of the thermal atmosphere inside a housing. However, since the conventional vertically arranged thermal treatment apparatus controls only the amount of the heat supplied by the heater chamber, it is difficult to precisely control the process temperature in the reaction chamber.
The present invention is therefore directed to a substrate processing apparatus for performing a thermal treatment process and a method using the same, which substantially overcome one or more of the problems due to the limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
It is a feature of an embodiment of the present invention to provide a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method using the same that is capable of correctly maintaining a temperature of an interior of a reaction chamber at a process temperature during a thermal treatment process.
At least one of the above and other features and advantages of the present invention may be realized by providing a substrate processing apparatus used for manufacturing a semiconductor substrate includes, a reaction chamber in which a thermal processing process is performed, a heater chamber for providing heat required for the process to the reaction chamber, the heater chamber surrounding the reaction chamber, a housing defining a space in which the reaction chamber and the heater chamber are provided, a heat venting unit for venting heat in the housing, and a controller for controlling the heat venting unit to maintain a temperature of an interior of the reaction chamber within a predetermined range of a process temperature by regulating an amount of thermal atmosphere exhausted through the heat venting unit.
The heat venting unit may be connected to an interior of the housing, and the heat venting unit may include a heat venting tube for providing a path through which thermal atmosphere is exhausted, a controlling member for controlling the amount of thermal atmosphere exhausted through the heat venting tube, and a measuring member for measuring one selected from the group consisting of an amount of thermal atmosphere exhausted through the heat venting tube and a temperature of the thermal atmosphere, wherein the controller receives a value measured by the measuring member and controls the controlling member in accordance with the measured value.
The measuring member may include a manometer provided in the heat venting tube for measuring a pressure difference between an interior of the heat venting tube and an outside of the housing. Alternatively, the measuring member may include a thermometer for measuring a temperature of a space between the housing and the heater chamber.
The controlling member may include a flow amount controlling member for controlling the amount of thermal atmosphere that flows through the heat venting tube, and wherein the controller is operable to control an opening rate of the flow amount controlling member. The controlling member may include a venting fan for exhausting gas in the housing to the outside of the housing, the venting fan being provided in the venting tube, and the controller is operable to control a rotation speed of the venting fan.
The reaction chamber may have an entrance in a bottom portion thereof, the entrance providing access to a boat in which substrates are loaded, and the heat venting unit may further include a bottom scavenger having a through hole into which the bottom portion of the reaction chamber is inserted in a center thereof and defining a space, the bottom scavenger supporting the heater chamber and being connected to the heat venting tube for venting thermal atmosphere around the entrance of the reaction chamber and thermal atmosphere generated by the heater chamber to an outside through the heat venting tube.
The heat venting unit may further include a top scavenger arranged in the housing, connected to the heat venting tube, and having an adsorbing member with an adsorbing hole through which thermal atmosphere in a space between the housing and the heater chamber flows.
The top scavenger may extend from the adsorbing member onto the heater chamber, and the top scavenger may further include a guide plate for guiding thermal atmosphere in a top portion of the heater chamber to the adsorbing member.
At least one of the above and other features and advantages of the present invention may be realized by providing an apparatus having a stand-by chamber, in which wafers are loaded/unloaded in a boat, which is operable to move up and down, and a processing chamber positioned above the stand-by chamber and having a reaction chamber with an entrance in a bottom end thereof through which the boat moves, and a heater chamber surrounding the reaction chamber, the processing chamber including a housing defining a space in which the reaction chamber and the heater chamber are arranged, a heat venting tube for venting thermal atmosphere in the housing to an outside, a bottom scavenger having a through hole into which the bottom end of the reaction chamber is inserted and defining a space, the bottom scavenger being connected to the heat venting tube for venting thermal atmosphere around the entrance of the reaction chamber and thermal atmosphere generated by the heater chamber to the heat venting tube, a top scavenger positioned in the housing and connected to the heat venting tube, the top scavenger for venting thermal atmosphere in a space between the housing and the heater chamber to the heat venting tube, a controlling member for controlling an amount of thermal atmosphere exhausted through the heat venting tube, a measuring member for measuring one selected from the group consisting of an amount of gas that flows through the heat venting tube and a temperature of the thermal atmosphere in a space between the housing and the heater chamber, and a controller for receiving signals from the measuring member to control the controlling member.
At least one of the above and other features and advantages of the present invention may be realized by providing a method of processing a substrate using a substrate processing apparatus having a heater chamber arranged in a housing and surrounding a reaction chamber in which a thermal treatment process is performed, the method including venting thermal atmosphere around an entrance of the reaction chamber and thermal atmosphere generated by the heater chamber to an outside through a bottom scavenger for supporting the heater chamber and through a heat venting tube connected to the bottom scavenger, measuring one selected from the group consisting of an amount of thermal atmosphere that flows through the heat venting tube and a pressure difference between an interior of the heat venting tube and an outer region, and controlling the amount of thermal atmosphere that flows through the heat venting tube to maintain one of the amount of thermal atmosphere and the pressure difference within a predetermined range.
Controlling the amount of thermal atmosphere that flows through the heat venting tube to maintain one of the amount of the thermal atmosphere and the pressure difference within a predetermined range may include controlling an opening rate of a flow amount controlling member provided in the heat venting tube.
Controlling the amount of thermal atmosphere that flows through the heat venting tube to maintain one of the amount of the thermal atmosphere and the pressure difference within a predetermined range may include controlling a rotation speed of a venting fan for exhausting the thermal atmosphere in the housing to the outside, the venting fan being provided in the heat venting tube.
The substrate processing method may further include venting thermal atmosphere in the space between the housing and the heater chamber to the outside through a top scavenger connected to the heat venting tube.
At least one of the above and other features and advantages of the present invention may be realized by providing a method of processing a substrate using a substrate processing apparatus having a heater chamber arranged in a housing and surrounding a reaction chamber in which a thermal treatment process is performed, the method including venting thermal atmosphere around the entrance of the reaction chamber and thermal atmosphere generated by the heater chamber to an outside through a bottom scavenger for supporting the heater chamber and through a heat venting tube connected to the bottom scavenger, measuring a temperature in a space between the housing and the reaction chamber, and controlling an amount of thermal atmosphere that flows through the heat venting tube to maintain the temperature of the space within a predetermined range.
The method may further include venting the thermal atmosphere in the space between the housing and the heater chamber to the outside through a top scavenger connected to the heat venting tube.
Controlling the amount of thermal atmosphere that flows through the heat venting tube to maintain the temperature of the space within the predetermined range may include controlling an opening rate of a flow control valve provided in the heat venting tube.
Controlling the amount of the thermal atmosphere that flows through the heat venting tube to maintain the temperature of the space within the predetermined range may include controlling a rotation speed of a venting fan for exhausting thermal atmosphere in the housing to the outside, the venting fan being provided in the heat venting tube.
The above and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by describing in detail exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings in which:
Korean Patent Application 2004-75148, filed on Sep. 20, 2004, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, and entitled: “Apparatus and Method of Processing a Substrate Used for Manufacturing a Semiconductor Substrate,” is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown. The invention may, however, be embodied in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. In the figures, the shapes and dimensions of elements are exaggerated for clarity of illustration. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.
The processing chamber 10 includes a housing 120, a reaction chamber 160, a heater chamber 140, a heat venting unit 200, and a controller 300. The housing 120 forms the external appearance of the processing chamber 10. The reaction chamber 160 and the heater chamber 140 are arranged in the housing 120 to perform the thermal treatment process on the wafers W. The heat venting unit 200 exhausts thermal atmosphere generated in the housing 120 to the outside. The controller 300 controls an amount of thermal atmosphere exhausted by the heat venting unit 200.
The reaction chamber 160 directly provides a space in which the thermal treatment process is performed on the wafers W, and may include an outer tube 162 and an inner tube 164 formed of quartz. The inner tube 164 may be cylindrical having a top portion and a bottom portion thereof open. The outer tube 162, which is provided to surround the inner tube 164, may be cylindrical having only a bottom portion thereof open. The heater chamber 140 for heating the reaction chamber 160 up to the temperature at which reaction gases flowed into the reaction chamber 160 are pyrolyzed and chemical reactions occur is positioned around the outer tube 162. A plate-shaped or coil-shaped heater 142 is loaded in the heater chamber 140.
A flange 166 having a through hole 166a formed in a center thereof is positioned under the inner tube 164 and the outer tube 162. The through-hole 166a functions as an entrance to the reaction chamber 160 through which the boat 400 enters and exits the reaction chamber 160. When the boat 400 enters the reaction chamber 160, a bottom end of the through-hole 166a is closed by a plate 122. The plate 122 may be provided on a bottom end of the boat 400 or may be slidably mounded between the processing chamber 10 and the stand-by chamber 20. A first supporting stand 166b, on which the outer tube 162 is positioned, is formed in a top portion of the flange 166. A second supporting stand 166c, on which the inner tube 164 is positioned, protrudes inward from an inner wall of the flange 166.
A reaction gas inflow line 520 through which reaction gases are supplied and a purge gas inflow line (not shown) through which a purge gas, e.g., nitrogen, is supplied in order to prevent a natural oxide film from forming on the wafers, are connected to one side of the flange 166. A venting line 540 having a pump (not shown) is connected to the other side of the flange 166. During each process, the interior of the reaction chamber 160 is maintained to a predetermined vacuum degree by the pump and reaction by-products in the reaction chamber 160 are exhausted through the venting line 540.
The above-described structure of the reaction chamber 160 is only exemplary. For example, the reaction chamber 160 may be provided by a single tube. Also, a nozzle of the reaction gas inflow line 520 or the purge gas inflow line may be arranged in a top end of the reaction chamber 160. Further, the venting line may be connected to a bottom end of the reaction chamber 160.
With reference to
The space 222 in the bottom scavenger 220 is connected to the heat venting tube 260. The heat venting tube 260 is combined with the bottom scavenger 220 and extends out of the processing chamber 10. The heat venting tube 260 may be formed of a plurality of tubes. The heat venting tube 260 includes an inner tube 262 positioned in the processing chamber 10 and an outer tube 264 positioned outside of the processing chamber 10.
With reference to
The amount of thermal atmosphere exhausted from the processing chamber 10 through the heat venting unit 200 affects the temperature of the interior of the reaction chamber 160. For example, when a large amount of thermal atmosphere is exhausted through the heat venting tube 260, the temperature of the interior of the reaction chamber 160 decreases. When a small amount of thermal atmosphere is exhausted, the temperature of the interior of the reaction chamber 160 increases.
Referring back to
The top scavenger 240 includes an adsorbing member 246 and a guide plate 242. The adsorbing member 246 is inserted into the inner tube 262 of the heat venting tube 260. The adsorbing member 246 may be rectangular parallelepiped and may have adsorbing holes 246a on a top surface thereof for adsorbing thermal atmosphere. The thermal atmosphere adsorbed through the adsorbing holes 246a is exhausted to the outside through the same venting path as the thermal atmosphere exhausted through the top scavenger 240, as may be seen in
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the heat venting unit 200 controls the amount of the thermal atmosphere exhausted through the heat venting tube 260 to maintain the temperature of the reaction chamber 160 in a range of a process temperature.
A method of processing a substrate using the apparatus according to the embodiments of the present invention will now be described.
Initially, the boat 400, in which the wafers W are loaded, enters the reaction chamber 160 and the entrance of the reaction chamber 160 is closed. During each process, in step S10, the heat generated around the entrance of the reaction chamber 160 and the heater chamber is exhausted to the heat venting tube 260 through the bottom scavenger 220 and the thermal atmosphere in the space 124 between the housing 120 and the heater chamber 140 is exhausted to the heat venting tube 260 through the top scavenger 240. In the first embodiment, in step S20, the amount of the thermal atmosphere exhausted through the heat venting tube 260 is measured by the manometer 290a. In the second embodiment, in step S40, the temperature of the atmosphere in the space 124 between the housing 120 and the heater chamber 140 is measured by the thermometer 290b.
After performing the above measurements in steps S20 and S40, respectively, both the first and second embodiments proceed to step S30. In step S30, the controller 300 controls the opening rate of the flow control valve 282 or the rotation speed of the venting fan 284 such that the amount of the thermal atmosphere exhausted through the heat venting tube 260 is within a predetermined range.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, during a thermal treatment process, an amount of thermal atmosphere exhausted from the processing chamber may be controlled to maintain a temperature of the interior of the reaction chamber at the process temperature.
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed herein and, although specific terms are employed, they are used and are to be interpreted in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purpose of limitation. Accordingly, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the following claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2004-75148 | Sep 2004 | KR | national |