JP2009054720A - Processing equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

The object of the present invention is to improve the in-plane uniformity of processing and suppress the adhesion of particles to a processing object when processing the processing object while flowing a processing gas in the processing container.
In a processing container 20 provided with a loading / unloading port 22 opened and closed by a shutter 23 on a side wall portion 21 of the processing vessel 20, the processing chamber 20 surrounds a mounting area of a mounting table 3 for a substrate S, and an upper end thereof is a transport height position of the substrate S. For increasing the flow rate of the processing gas at the peripheral edge of the substrate S by forming a gas pool region of the processing gas around the substrate S placed on the mounting table 3 so as to be higher A structure 5 is provided. The carry-in / out port 22 side of the rectifying structure 5 is configured as a tunnel member 51 for partitioning the transfer path P of the substrate S between the carry-in / out port 22 and the placement region end.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention provides a processing gas in a processing container in a state where a rectifying structure is provided around the target object, such as an FPD (flat panel display) substrate, in the processing container. The present invention relates to a technique for supplying and performing a predetermined process on the object to be processed by the processing gas.

In the manufacturing process of an object to be processed such as an LCD (liquid crystal display) substrate, there is a process of performing an etching process on an aluminum (Al) film formed on the object to be processed. An example of an etching processing apparatus that performs this process will be briefly described with reference to FIG. 13. In FIG. 13, reference numeral 1 denotes a vacuum chamber, and an object to be processed, for example, an FPD substrate S is placed inside the vacuum chamber 1. A mounting table 11 is provided, and a processing gas supply unit 12 serving as an upper electrode for generating plasma is provided so as to face the mounting table 11. Then, an etching gas made of chlorine (Cl ₂ ) -based gas is supplied from the processing gas supply unit 12 into the vacuum chamber 1, and the inside of the vacuum chamber 1 is evacuated by a vacuum pump (not shown) through the exhaust path 13, while a high frequency power source is provided. By applying high-frequency power from 14 to the processing gas supply unit 12, plasma of an etching gas is formed in the space above the substrate S, whereby the etching process for the substrate S is performed.

  By the way, in the etching of the Al film, since the supply amount of the etching gas is proportional to the etching amount, the etching rate of the outer peripheral portion of the substrate S becomes extremely fast and the etching amount increases due to the microloading effect. The phenomenon occurs. That is, in the outermost peripheral region of the substrate S indicated by reference numeral 15 in FIG. 14, when viewed from the Cl radical that is the etching species, the etching area is about half that of the central area having the same area indicated by reference numeral 16, and therefore the central area. If the etching gas is supplied at the same flow rate as that supplied to the region 16, the etching amount in the outermost peripheral region 15 is about twice that in the central region 16.

  For this reason, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 15, a rectifying member 17 having a height of about 50 mm to 150 mm is conventionally provided so as to surround the periphery of the substrate S, and the flow of the etching gas near the outer peripheral region of the substrate S is rectified. A gas pool is formed around the substrate S by being blocked by the member 17, thereby reducing the etching gas flow rate in the region, and thus increasing the uniformity of the etching rate in the substrate surface.

  At this time, when the upper end of the rectifying member 17 is higher than the transfer height position of the substrate S from the loading / unloading port 11 to the upper side of the mounting table 3, the rectifying member 17 is configured to be movable up and down. As shown in (b), when the substrate S is carried into the vacuum chamber 1, the rectifying member 17 is carried in a raised state, the substrate S is placed on the mounting table 11, and then the rectifying member 17. When the substrate S is lowered to a position surrounding the substrate S and the substrate S is unloaded from the vacuum chamber 1, the rectifying member 17 is first lifted and then the substrate S is unloaded. Here, the rectifying member 17 is provided on the mounting table 11 via, for example, a plate-like body 17a, and is formed to extend to the outside of the mounting table 11 from, for example, four places on the side surface of the plate-like body 17a. The elevating support bar 18a is connected to the lower surface of the projecting portion 17b, and the elevating support bar 18a is moved up and down by the elevating mechanism 18, whereby the rectifying member 17 can be moved up and down.

  By the way, in the etching treatment of the Al film with a chlorine-based gas, Al chloride is generated and adheres to the inner wall of the rectifying member 17, but when the amount of deposition increases, when the rectifying member 17 is moved up and down, The deposited Al chloride is easily peeled off, which causes generation of particles. For this reason, there is a problem that maintenance for removing particles must be frequently performed.

  This maintenance operation is performed in such a process that the atmosphere in the vacuum chamber 1 is returned to the atmospheric state, the chamber 1 is opened to remove particles, and then the chamber 1 is closed and then evacuation is performed. However, with the recent increase in size of the substrate S, the vacuum chamber 1 has also increased in size, and a process of returning the atmosphere in the vacuum chamber 1 to an atmospheric state and a process of evacuation require a considerably long time. Therefore, since the work time for the entire maintenance work becomes very long, frequent maintenance work is one of the factors that hinder the improvement of the throughput.

  Therefore, the present inventors have studied a configuration in which a rectifying member is provided so as to surround the substrate, and the substrate is placed on a mounting table without driving the rectifying member, thereby suppressing generation of particles. As a patent prior document relating to a rectifying member, Patent Document 1 describes a configuration in which a movable ring configured to protrude by a moving mechanism on a lower electrode is provided as a rectifying member. Patent Document 2 describes an outer periphery of a substrate. A configuration is described in which a side wall provided with a gas flow port is provided as a rectifying member so as to surround a portion, and Patent Document 3 describes an example in which a rectifying member is configured by a plurality of side wall portions provided along the peripheral edge of a substrate. However, none of the documents describes a configuration that allows a substrate to be mounted on a mounting table without driving a rectifying member, and is based on the techniques described in these documents. However, the above-mentioned problem cannot be solved.

JP-A-7-74155 JP 2003-243364 A JP 2005-259989 A

  The present invention has been made under such circumstances, and its purpose is to improve in-plane uniformity of processing when processing a target object while flowing a processing gas in the processing container. And providing a technique capable of suppressing the adhesion of particles to the object to be processed.

For this reason, the processing apparatus of the present invention is provided inside the processing container, and a mounting table for mounting the object to be processed thereon.
A processing gas supply means for supplying a processing gas from the upper side of the mounting table and performing a process on an object to be processed placed on the mounting table;
Exhaust means for exhausting the interior of the processing vessel;
A loading / unloading port of the object to be processed which is formed on the side wall of the processing container and is opened and closed by an opening and closing member;
A peripheral portion of the object to be processed is formed so as to surround the object mounting area on the mounting table, and a gas accumulation area for the processing gas is formed around the object to be processed mounted on the mounting table. A rectifying structure for slowing down the flow rate of the processing gas in
The carry-in / out port side of the rectifying structure is configured as a cylindrical member for partitioning and forming a workpiece transport path from the carry-in / out port toward the workpiece mounting region.

  Here, the rectifying structure may be provided on the mounting table such that the upper end of the rectifying structure is higher than the transfer height position of the object to be processed. Moreover, it is desirable that the end of the cylindrical member on the loading / unloading side does not communicate with the atmosphere of the processing container. Further, the portion other than the cylindrical member in the rectifying structure may be configured as a rectifying wall extending upward from the mounting table, and one end side is opened toward the processing object mounting region. And the other end side may be comprised as a flat structure closed by the side wall side of a processing container. In this case, when the object to be processed is a square substrate, the cylindrical member is provided on one side of the square object to be processed mounting region of the mounting table, and the remaining three other than the one side On the side, one end side of the structure may be opened along the other side, and the other end side of the structure may be closed by a side wall of the processing container. .

  Moreover, in this invention, the non-processing gas for supplying a non-processing gas to the peripheral part of the to-be-processed object provided along the periphery of the to-be-processed object mounting area | region of the above-mentioned mounting base is mounted. You may make it provide a supply part. Here, the process performed on the object to be processed includes an etching process of an aluminum film formed on the surface of the object to be processed.

  According to the present invention, since the processing is performed while supplying the processing gas to the target object in a state where the periphery of the target object is surrounded by the rectifying structure, the periphery of the target object is processed during the processing. A gas reservoir region is formed at the bottom. For this reason, since the flow velocity of the processing gas is reduced in the outer periphery of the object to be processed, the processing speed is uniform in the surface of the object to be processed, and the in-plane uniformity of the processing is improved. In addition, since the object to be processed is loaded from the loading / unloading port of the processing container through the internal space of the cylindrical member forming a part of the rectifying structural member, the rectifying structural body is not moved on the mounting table. A to-be-processed object can be mounted. For this reason, peeling of the processing product adhering to the rectifying structure is suppressed, and adhesion of particles to the object to be processed can be suppressed.

  Hereinafter, a case where the processing apparatus of the present invention is applied to an etching processing apparatus for performing an etching process on an aluminum (Al) film formed on the surface of an object to be processed, for example, an FPD substrate, according to an embodiment of the present invention. An example will be described. FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the etching apparatus 2. The etching processing apparatus 2 includes a grounded processing container 20 for performing an etching process on the FPD substrate S therein, and the processing container 20 has, for example, a planar shape formed in a square shape. Yes.

  The FPD substrate S is a square substrate, and the processing container 20 is set to have a size such that one side of a horizontal section is about 3.5 m and the other side is about 3.0 m. It is composed of a good material. A loading / unloading port 22 for loading a substrate into the processing container 20 is formed in one side wall portion 21 of the processing container 20, and the loading / unloading port 22 is configured to be opened and closed by a shutter 23 serving as an opening / closing member. Has been.

  A placement table 3 for placing the substrate S thereon is disposed inside the processing container 20. The mounting table 3 is electrically connected to a high-frequency power supply unit 31 for generating plasma, and functions as a lower electrode for generating plasma in the processing container 20. The mounting table 3 is disposed on the bottom surface of the processing container 20 via an insulating member 32, whereby the lower electrode is provided in a state of being electrically floated from the processing container 20. Further, a shield ring 33 made of a ceramic material is provided on the peripheral region and the side surface of the surface of the mounting table 3 so as to uniformly form plasma above the mounting table 3. Further, in the mounting table 3, the lifting pins 34 for transferring the substrate S to the mounting table 3 receive and transfer the substrate S to / from an external transport means (not shown) by the lifting mechanism 35, and the mounting table It is provided so as to be able to project and retract between a position below the three surfaces.

  On the other hand, a flat plate-like upper electrode 4 is provided above the mounting table 3 inside the processing container 20 so as to face the surface of the mounting table 3. The upper electrode 4 is a square plate-shaped upper part. The electrode base 41 is supported. The upper electrode 4 and the upper electrode base 41 are made of, for example, aluminum. Further, the upper surface of the upper electrode base 41 is connected to the ceiling of the processing container 20, whereby the upper electrode 4 is provided in an electrically conductive state with the processing container 20, and the upper electrode base 41 and the upper electrode 4 are provided. A region surrounded by is formed as a gas diffusion space 42.

  A processing gas supply path 43 is provided at the ceiling of the processing container 20 so as to be connected to the gas diffusion space 42, and the other end side of the processing gas supply path 43 is connected to the processing gas supply section 44. It is connected. In this example, the upper electrode 4 and the upper electrode base 41 constitute processing gas supply means.

  When the processing gas is thus supplied from the processing gas supply unit 44 to the gas diffusion space 42, the processing gas is supplied to the processing space on the substrate S through the gas supply hole 45 provided in the upper electrode 4. As a result, the etching process for the substrate S proceeds. On the other hand, an exhaust passage 24 is connected to the bottom wall of the processing vessel 20, and a vacuum exhaust means (not shown) such as a vacuum pump is connected to the other end of the exhaust passage 24.

  Further, a rectifying structure 5 for forming a gas accumulation region of a processing gas around the substrate S placed on the mounting table 3 around the target object mounting region of the mounting table 3 is, for example, It is provided on the mounting table 3 so that its upper end is higher than the transport height position of the substrate S. Here, the transport height position is a height position when the substrate S is transported from the loading / unloading port 22 to the upper side of the mounting table 3 by an external transport means.

  The carry-in / out port 22 side of the rectifying structure 5 is configured as a tunnel member 51 that forms a cylindrical member, and a portion other than the tunnel member 51 in the rectifying structure 5 is configured as a rectifying wall 52. The tunnel member 51 is configured in a cylindrical shape so as to partition and form a transfer path P (processed object transfer path) from the loading / unloading port 22 toward the target object mounting area of the table 3 described above. Then, the end portion on the loading / unloading side (the other end side) is connected to the inner wall of the side wall portion 21 so as to surround the loading / unloading port 22, and the one end side opens to the placement region side, The lower surface on one end side is provided so as to be connected to the mounting table 3. Further, the loading / unloading side of the transport passage P formed inside the tunnel member 51 is configured to be closed by the shutter 23 via the loading / unloading port 22, and thus the end of the tunnel member 51 on the loading / unloading side is treated. It is provided so as not to communicate with the atmosphere in the container 20.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the processing object mounting region is a region where the substrate S is placed on the mounting table 3, and one end side of the tunnel member 51 is described above in this example. It is provided so as to be located, for example, about 5 mm outside from the outer edge of the substrate S placed in the placement area. Moreover, although the height of the tunnel member 51 is set according to the conveyance path P of the said board | substrate S, it is preferable to set it as about 50 mm-150 mm, for example.

  The rectifying wall 52 is configured to extend upward from the mounting table 3 so as to surround a side of the substrate S mounted on the mounting table 3 except for the loading / unloading side 22. It is connected to one end side of the tunnel member 51. Further, the height is set to about 50 mm to 150 mm, for example, and the height positions of the upper end of the tunnel member 51 and the upper end of the rectifying wall 52 are aligned with each other, and the height positions of these upper ends are It is set to be higher than the transfer height position of the substrate S extending from the loading / unloading port 22 to the upper side of the mounting table 3.

  The tunnel member 51 and the rectifying wall 52 are made of, for example, ceramics, and the surface of the inner wall surface is formed of a rough surface having an Ra (arithmetic mean roughness) of about 5 μm, for example. Thus, when viewed from the substrate S on the mounting table 3, at the side of the substrate S on the loading / unloading port 22 side, when the loading / unloading port 22 is closed by the shutter 23, the end on the loading / unloading side of the tunnel member 51 is A gas reservoir space is formed by the closed tunnel member 51 which is closed by the shutter 23. Further, on the side of the substrate S other than the loading / unloading port 22 side, the flow rate of the processing gas is reduced by the flow of the processing gas being blocked by the flow straightening wall 52, so that a gas accumulation space is formed by the flow straightening wall 52. Thus, a gas reservoir space is formed by the tunnel member 51 and the rectifying wall 52 around the substrate S on the mounting table 3.

  The etching processing apparatus 2 is configured to be controlled by the control unit 6. The control unit 6 is formed of a computer, for example, and includes a CPU, a program, and a memory. In the program, a command (each step) is incorporated so that a control signal is sent from the control unit 6 to each part of the etching processing apparatus to advance a predetermined etching process. This program is stored in a storage unit such as a computer storage medium such as a flexible disk, a compact disk, a hard disk, or an MO (magneto-optical disk) and installed in the control unit 6.

  Next, the etching method of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 4, the upper electrode 4 and the upper electrode base 41 are collectively indicated by reference numeral 40. First, the process recipe for the target etching process is selected by the control unit 6. The control unit 6 outputs a control signal to each unit of the etching processing apparatus based on this process recipe, and thus a predetermined etching process is performed on the substrate.

  Specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 4A, first, the shutter 23 is opened, and the substrate S on which the Al film is formed is processed through the tunnel member 51 by an external transfer means (not shown). It carries in in 20 and is moved to the delivery position of the mounting part 3 upper side. This delivery position is a position above the placement area of the placement unit 3 described above. Then, the lift pins 34 are raised, and the substrate S is received by the lift pins 34 from the transfer means at this transfer position, and then the lift pins 34 are lowered to transfer the wafer W onto the mounting portion 3. On the other hand, after the conveying means is withdrawn through the loading / unloading port 22, the loading / unloading port 22 is closed by the shutter 23. As a result, the opening on the loading / unloading side of the tunnel member 51 is closed by the shutter 23 via the loading / unloading port 22.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4B, a processing gas for etching processing, for example, chlorine gas, is discharged from the processing gas supply unit 44 toward the substrate S as a processing gas, and the internal space of the processing container 20 is set to a predetermined pressure. The high frequency power is supplied from the high frequency power supply unit 31 to the mounting unit 3. Thus, plasma is formed in the space above the substrate S, and the etching process for the substrate S is advanced.

  At this time, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, the processing gas supplied from the upper electrode 4 flows downward through a gap 61 between the mounting table 3 and the inner wall of the processing container 20, and the exhaust path 24. It is exhausted through. For this reason, on the surface of the substrate S on the mounting table 3, the processing gas flows from the center side toward the outer side. Further, since the other end side of the tunnel member 51 is connected to the upper surface of the mounting table 3, the processing gas flows into the tunnel member 51 on the side facing the loading / unloading port 22 of the substrate S.

  Here, since the entrance / exit side of the tunnel member 51 is closed by the shutter 23, it is difficult to be exhausted, and the processing gas gradually accumulates inside the tunnel member 51, whereby the inside of the tunnel member 51 becomes a gas accumulation space, and processing is performed. It will serve to reduce the gas flow rate. On the other hand, on the side other than the loading / unloading port 22 side of the substrate S, the processing gas flows from the center side toward the outside side of the substrate S, so that the processing gas collides with the rectifying wall 52 provided around the substrate S. And flows along the rectifying wall 52. Therefore, since the processing gas flows so as to exceed the rectifying wall 52, a state where it is difficult to be exhausted by the rectifying wall 52 is formed, and the flow velocity is extremely reduced. In this way, the processing gas gradually accumulates near the inside of the rectifying wall 52, and a gas accumulation space is formed.

  In this way, a gas accumulation space is formed around the substrate S by the rectifying structure 5, and the flow rate of the processing gas is extremely reduced at the outer peripheral portion of the substrate S, so that the supply amount of the processing gas is reduced compared to the central portion. Is done. For this reason, the etching rate in the central portion and the outer peripheral portion of the substrate S is substantially uniform, and the etching process of the Al film can be performed in a state in which high in-plane uniformity is ensured in the substrate surface.

  As described above, in the above-described example, the substrate S is loaded from the loading / unloading port 22 through the tunnel member 51 that forms a part of the rectifying structure 5. The substrate S can be transferred between the means and the mounting table 3. For this reason, even if Al chloride generated by the etching process adheres to and accumulates on the inner wall of the tunnel member 51, the rectifying wall 52, and the like, the deposited deposit is difficult to peel off, and generation of particles is suppressed. This reduces the frequency of maintenance for removing Al chloride, which takes a long time, thereby improving the operating rate of the etching processing apparatus 2 and improving the throughput.

  In addition, since the inner surface of the tunnel member 51 and the inner wall surface of the rectifying wall 52 are configured with a rough surface as described above, the adhering material adheres more firmly to the tunnel member 51 and the rectifying wall 52. Peeling can be further suppressed.

  Next, another example of the rectifying structure 5 will be described with reference to FIGS. In the rectifying structure 71 of this example, the loading / unloading port 22 side is constituted by the tunnel member 51, and the tunnel member 51 is provided on one side of the square mounting region of the mounting table 3. Then, on the remaining three other sides other than the one side of the rectifying structure 71, a flat structure body having one end side opened along the other side and the other end side closed on the side wall side of the processing vessel 20 is provided. A cylindrical member 72 is formed. In this example, the lower surface of one end side of the cylindrical member 72 is connected to the mounting table 3, and the other end side of the cylindrical member 72 is connected to the inner wall portion of the processing container 20 facing the other side. The other end side is closed by the side wall of the processing container 20. The tunnel member 51 and the cylindrical member 72 are connected to each other so as to surround the entire periphery of the substrate S on the mounting table 3.

  The cylindrical member 72 is provided such that one end side thereof is located, for example, about 5 mm outside from the outer edge of the substrate S placed in the placement area. The height of the cylindrical member 72 is preferably about 50 mm to 150 mm, for example, and is configured such that the height positions of the upper end of the tunnel member 51 and the upper end of the cylindrical member 72 are aligned with each other. Is set to be higher than the transport height position of the substrate S.

  In this example, the processing gas supplied from the processing gas supply unit 44 is formed between the corner of the mounting table 3 and the corner of the inner wall of the processing container 20 as shown in FIG. It flows downward through the gap 62 and is exhausted through the exhaust path 24. Then, since the processing gas in the vicinity of the substrate S flows from the center side to the outer side as described above, it flows into the tunnel member 51 and the cylindrical member 72 as shown in FIG. Thus, the inside of the cylindrical member 72 becomes a processing gas ventilation space, but the other end side of the cylindrical member 72 is connected to the inner wall of the processing container 20 and closed as described above. The processing gas gradually accumulates inside the cylindrical member 72, and this causes the inside of the cylindrical member 72 to become a gas accumulation space, which serves to reduce the flow rate of the processing gas. Thus, since the inside of the tunnel member 51 and the cylindrical member 72 functions as a gas accumulation space, the flow rate of the etching gas is reduced around the substrate S, and the in-plane uniformity of the etching process is improved.

  Further, in this example, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, for example, when a viewing window 25 for confirming the installation state of the substrate S in the processing container 20 is formed in the processing container 20, a cylinder is formed. The installation state can be visually confirmed through the opening of the shaped member 72, and the end point of processing can be detected by an EPD (End Point Detector).

  Furthermore, as the cylindrical member 72 constituting the rectifying structure 71, the other end may be closed by a member other than the side wall portion of the processing container 20, as shown in FIGS. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the cylindrical member 73 of this example has a U-shaped cross section, a bottom 73 a provided outside the placement region of the substrate S of the placement table 3, and the bottom 73 a. A wall 73b provided so as to extend upward, and a flange 73c extending substantially horizontally toward the placement region side of the substrate S at the upper end of the wall 73b. The inner end of the bottom 73a is located, for example, about 5 mm outside the placement area of the substrate S, and the outer end of the bottom 73a is located, eg, about 150 mm outside the placement area of the substrate S. The inner end of the collar portion 73c is provided outside the placement area of the substrate S. In addition, for example, the height of the wall portion 73b is preferably set to about 50 mm to 150 mm, and the width of the flange portion 73c is preferably set to about 150 mm, and the upper end of the tunnel member 51 and the upper end of the tubular member 73 (the flange portion 73c) The height positions are aligned with each other, and the height positions of these upper ends are set to be higher than the transport height position of the substrate S.

  In this example, the processing gas supplied from the processing gas supply unit 44 is a gap formed between the cylindrical member 73 provided on the mounting table 3 and the inner wall of the processing container 20 as shown in FIG. It flows downward through 63 and is exhausted through the exhaust passage 24. Since the processing gas in the vicinity of the substrate S flows from the center side to the outer side as described above, it flows into the tunnel member 51 and also into the cylindrical member 73.

  Here, since the cylindrical member 73 is closed by the wall portion 73b, the processing gas gradually accumulates inside the cylindrical member 73, whereby the inside of the cylindrical member 73 becomes a gas reservoir space, and the flow velocity of the processing gas. It will serve to reduce As a result, the inside of the tunnel member 51 and the cylindrical member 73 functions as a gas accumulation space, so that the flow rate of the etching gas is reduced in the outer periphery of the substrate S, and the in-plane uniformity of the etching process is improved.

  In addition, although the cylindrical structure (tubular member) was provided on the other three other sides other than the side where the tunnel member 51 of the rectifying structure 71 was provided, instead of such a structure, As a flat structure in which one end side opens along the other side and the other end side is closed on the side wall side of the processing vessel 20, the entire surroundings on the other three other sides other than the side where the tunnel member 51 is provided You may make it use the structure in which the planar shape was formed in U shape so that it might surround. Thus, even in the structure that surrounds the three sides in a communicating state, the inside of the structure functions as a gas reservoir space, so that the in-plane uniformity of the etching process can be improved.

  Further, another example of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In this example, the non-processing gas supply unit 8 for supplying non-processing gas to the peripheral portion of the substrate S placed on the mounting table 3 is provided on the peripheral edge of the processing object mounting region of the mounting table 3. It is provided along. Specifically, for example, when the cylindrical member 73 and the non-processing gas supply unit 8 shown in FIG. 8 are combined and provided, the thickness of the bottom 73a of the cylindrical member 73 is set on the mounting table 3. The non-processing gas is set so as to be larger than the thickness of the substrate S, and the non-processing gas is supplied to the bottom 73a from the inner wall surface of the bottom 73a toward the peripheral edge of the substrate S on the mounting table 3. A gas supply path 81 is built in.

  The thickness of the bottom 51a of the tunnel member 51 is also set to be larger than the thickness of the substrate S on the mounting table 3, and the peripheral portion of the substrate S on the mounting table 3 from the inner surface of the bottom 51a to the bottom 51a. The non-processing gas supply path 81 is built in so as to supply the non-processing gas toward the head. The non-processing gas supply path 81 formed inside the cylindrical member 73 and the tunnel member 51 is, for example, inside the cylindrical member 73 and the tunnel member 51 member, on the side of the square target object placement region. The non-processing gas is supplied to the inside via a non-processing gas supply pipe 81a. In the figure, reference numeral 82 denotes a number of non-treatment gas supply holes formed along the sides of the square mounting region on the inner wall of the bottom 73a of the cylindrical member 73 and the bottom 51a of the tunnel member 51. The non-processing gas supply hole 82 is connected to the non-processing gas supply path 81.

In this example, the non-processing gas supply unit 8 includes a non-processing gas supply path 81, a non-processing gas supply pipe 81a, and a non-processing gas supply hole 82, and the non-processing gas supply path 81 extends from the non-processing gas supply pipe 81a. The non-processing gas supplied to the substrate 3 is supplied to the peripheral edge of the substrate S on the mounting table 3 through the non-processing gas supply hole 82. As the non-treatment gas, a rare gas such as helium (He) gas, neon (Ne) gas, or argon (Ar) gas, nitrogen (N ₂ ) gas, oxygen (O ₂ ) gas, or the like is used. Here, the non-processing gas may be supplied to the peripheral portion of the substrate S from the non-processing gas supply hole 82 substantially horizontally, or the non-processing gas may be supplied slightly downward.

  In this example, since the non-processing gas is supplied to the peripheral portion of the substrate S, the processing gas is diluted with the non-processing gas at the peripheral portion. Therefore, the etching rate at the peripheral edge of the substrate S is reduced, and the in-plane uniformity of the etching process is improved.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the non-processing gas supply unit 8 places an annular rectifier 83 having a height larger than the thickness of the substrate S on the outside of the mounting region of the mounting table 3. In addition to being provided so as to surround, a large number of non-processing gas supply holes 84 are provided along the side of the substrate S on the inner wall surface of the rectifying body 83, and from here on substantially the side of the peripheral edge of the substrate S on the mounting table 3 or The rectifier 83 may be configured to incorporate the non-processing gas supply path (not shown) so that the non-processing gas is supplied slightly downward.

  As in this case, even when the upper surface of the mounting table 3 is located below the lower end of the loading / unloading port 22 and the rectifying body 83 is provided on the mounting table 3, the external transfer means and the mounting table 3 When the substrate S is transferred to and from the transfer pin 34 above the rectifier 83, and the rectifier 83 does not interfere with the transfer of the substrate S between the transfer means and the transfer pin 34, The tunnel member 51 need not be provided. Further, the non-processing gas supply unit 8 may be provided in combination with the rectifying structures 5 and 71 shown in FIGS. Further, the tunnel member 51 may have a configuration in which the non-processing gas supply path 81 and the non-processing gas supply hole 82 are not provided, and the shape of the non-processing gas supply hole 82 is along the peripheral edge of the object mounting region. As long as it is provided, it may have a slit shape.

  In the above-described example, the lower surface on one end side of the tunnel member 51 is configured to be connected to the upper surface of the mounting table 3, but the lower end side end surface on one end side of the tunnel member 51, for example, as shown in FIG. May be connected to the side of the mounting table 3, and a height adjusting member 85 extending from the side of the substrate S on the mounting table 3 to the loading / unloading port 22 may be provided inside the tunnel member 51. Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 12B, the mounting table 3 is provided so that the upper surface thereof is located below the lower end of the loading / unloading port 22, and the height is set between the tunnel member 51 and the upper surface of the mounting table 3. The tunnel member 51 and the mounting table 3 may be connected via the adjustment member 85. This case is also included when the rectifying structure 5 is provided on the mounting table 3.

  Further, the tunnel member 51 may be provided so that an end portion on the side of the carry-in / out port is connected to the side wall portion 21 in which the carry-in / out port 22 is formed, for example, as shown in FIG. The opening may be configured to open into the loading / unloading port 22, and in this case, the opening on the loading / unloading side of the tunnel member 51 is closed by the shutter 23 via, for example, an elastic member (not shown). Is done. Further, since the conductance is increased by providing the tunnel member 51 and a gas reservoir space is formed in the tunnel member 51, the end of the tunnel member 51 on the loading / unloading side is not necessarily closed. Furthermore, the rectifying structures 5, 71, 73 may be heated by a heating means (not shown) to suppress the adhesion of reaction products in the treatment.

(Experimental example)
Examples carried out to confirm the effects of the present invention will be described below. In the following experiment, the etching processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is used, and as a rectifying structure, as shown in FIG. 8, a tunnel member 51 and a cylindrical member 73 are used (Example 1). As shown, the configuration using the tunnel member 51 and the cylindrical member 73 provided with the non-processing gas supply unit 8 (Example 2) and the configuration without the rectifying structure (Comparative Example 1) are used on the surface. Etching is performed on the substrate S on which the Ti film and the Al film are laminated, and the etching rate at this time is measured at 22 points in the plane of the substrate S, and (maximum value−minimum value) / (maximum value + minimum value). Value) to calculate the in-plane uniformity of the etching rate. Here, the maximum value indicates the maximum value of the etching rate, and the minimum value indicates the minimum value of the etching rate.

  The etching process conditions are as follows.

Substrate size: 730mm x 920mm
Processing pressure: 3.99 Pa (30 mTorr)
Etching gas: Cl ₂ + N ₂
(result)
As a result, the in-plane uniformity of the etching rate was as follows.

Example 1: ± 16.5%
Example 2: ± 10.1%
Comparative Example 1: ± 23.3%
As a result, when the rectifying structure of the present invention is used as in Example 1 and Example 2, the etching rate is more uniform in the plane than when the rectifying structure of Comparative Example 1 is not used. Therefore, the usefulness of the rectifying structure of the present invention is understood.
The processing apparatus of the present invention can be applied not only to etching processing but also to processing for processing an object to be processed using another processing gas such as ashing or CVD. Further, the process is not necessarily limited to the plasma process, and may be another gas process. Furthermore, the object to be processed is not limited to a square substrate, but may be a semiconductor wafer W or the like in addition to an FPD substrate.

It is sectional drawing which shows the etching processing apparatus which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure for rectification | straightening provided in the said etching processing apparatus. It is a top view which shows the structure for rectification | straightening provided in the said etching processing apparatus. It is sectional drawing which shows the effect | action of the said etching processing apparatus. It is sectional drawing which shows the effect | action of the said etching processing apparatus. It is the perspective view and top view which show the other example of the said etching processing apparatus. It is sectional drawing which shows the effect | action of the said etching processing apparatus. It is the perspective view and top view which show the other example of the said etching processing apparatus. It is sectional drawing which shows the effect | action of the said etching processing apparatus. It is sectional drawing which shows the other example of the said etching processing apparatus. It is a perspective view which shows the further another example of the said etching processing apparatus. It is sectional drawing which shows the other example of the said etching processing apparatus. It is sectional drawing which shows the conventional etching processing apparatus. 2 is a plan view of a substrate S. FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the conventional etching processing apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 2 Etching processing apparatus 20 Processing container 21 Side wall part 22 Carrying in / out opening 23 Shutter 24 Exhaust path 3 Mounting stand 4 Upper electrode 31 High frequency power supply part 47 Processing gas supply part 5, 71 Rectification structure 51 Tunnel member 52 Rectification walls 72, 73 Tube -Shaped member 8 Non-process gas supply part 81 Non-process gas supply path 82 Non-process gas supply hole 83 Rectifier S FPD substrate

Claims (9)

A mounting table provided inside the processing container and for mounting the object to be processed on the top;
A processing gas supply means for supplying a processing gas from the upper side of the mounting table and performing a process on an object to be processed placed on the mounting table;
Exhaust means for exhausting the interior of the processing vessel;
A loading / unloading port of the object to be processed which is formed on the side wall of the processing container and is opened and closed by an opening and closing member;
A peripheral portion of the object to be processed is formed so as to surround the object mounting area on the mounting table, and a gas accumulation area for the processing gas is formed around the object to be processed mounted on the mounting table. A rectifying structure for slowing down the flow rate of the processing gas in
The processing apparatus characterized in that the loading / unloading side of the rectifying structure is configured as a cylindrical member for partitioning a processing object transport path from the loading / unloading port toward the processing object placement region. .   The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rectifying structure is provided on the mounting table such that an upper end of the rectifying structure is higher than a transfer height position of the object to be processed.   The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an end of the cylindrical member on the loading / unloading side is not in communication with the atmosphere of the processing container.   4. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a portion other than the cylindrical member in the rectifying structure is configured as a rectifying wall extending upward from the mounting table. 5.   The portion other than the cylindrical member in the rectifying structure is configured as a flat structure in which one end side opens toward the target object mounting region and the other end side is closed on the side wall side of the processing container. The processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the processing apparatus is provided. The object to be processed is a square substrate,
The cylindrical member is provided on one side of a square-shaped object mounting region of the mounting table, and on the other three other sides other than the one side, one end side of the structure is opened along the other side. The processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:   The processing apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the other end side of the structure is closed by a side wall of the processing container.   Provided with a non-processing gas supply unit for supplying non-processing gas to the peripheral part of the target object placed on the mounting table, provided along the peripheral edge of the target object mounting region of the mounting table. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:   The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the process performed on the object to be processed is an etching process of an aluminum film formed on a surface of the object to be processed.

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