Tokyo Electron Limited

Yoji Mizutani

Shinji Nagashima

Kazuhiro Takeshita

Kyoshige Katayama

Makoto Muramatsu

Kazutoshi Yano

Yuji Matsuyama

Akira Yonemizu

Takayuki Toshima

Nobuo Konishi

Yutaka Miura

Takahiro Shimoda

Shunji Kawakami

Prior to transfer of an wafer W, a mixed gas is being generated and exhausted, thereby fluctuation of concentration and temperature of a solvent component at the beginning of gas introduction into a chamberis suppressed. A step of gelling after the wafer W is carried into an aging unit is divided into several steps. Until a temperature of the wafer W reaches a predetermined treatment temperature, an average concentration of the solvent component in a mixed gas is gradually raised relative to the temperature of the wafer W. Thereby, immediately after the wafer W is transferred into a sealed chamber, the gas of the solvent component is prevented from condensing.

Method of coating film, coating unit, aging unit, solvent replacement unit, and apparatus for coating film

When a substrate coated with a coating solution which oxidizes at high temperatures is heat-treated, an oxygen concentration of a treatment atmosphere is lowered when the temperature is low. Next, the substrate is heat-treated in the treatment atmosphere of which the oxygen concentration is lowered. Sequentially, the treatment atmosphere is returned to that with the original oxygen concentration after the passage of a predetermined time after completing the heat treatment. Thereby, the substrate can be heat-treated, with the oxidization of the coating solution being controlled.

Heat treatment method, heat treatment apparatus and treatment system

A gas flow regulating surface portion is the farthest from the front surface of a wafer W in the middle between a peripheral portion of the wafer W and a center portion of a sealing vessel. The gas flow regulating portion protrudes to the front surface of the wafer W in the vicinity of a center portion that surrounds an exhausting opening . In other words, a convex portion is formed in a peripheral area of the gas flow regulating surface portion that surrounds the exhausting opening . Since treatment gas flows along the front surface of the gas flow regulating portion , treatment gas equally contacts the wafer W in the radius direction of the wafer W. Thus, a film with equal thickness is formed.

Gas treatment apparatus

Prior to transfer of an wafer W, a mixed gas is being generated and exhausted, thereby fluctuation of concentration and temperature of a solvent component at the beginning of gas introduction into a chamber is suppressed. A step of gelling after the wafer W is carried into an aging unit is divided into several steps. Until a temperature of the wafer W reaches a predetermined treatment temperature, an average concentration of the solvent component in a mixed gas is gradually raised relative to the temperature of the wafer W. Thereby, immediately after the wafer W is transferred into a sealed chamber, the gas of the solvent component is prevented from condensing.

In an organic insulating film coating apparatus, an organic insulating film is applied onto a wafer by a spin coating. Thereafter, the wafer is subjected to heat processing and an inorganic insulating film is applied onto the wafer by a spin coating in an inorganic insulating film coating apparatus. After the coating of the inorganic insulating film, the wafer is subjected to aging processing and exchange-chemical coating processing. Thereafter, a solvent in the coating film is removed in a low-temperature heat processing apparatus and a low-oxygen and high-temperature heat processing apparatus, and thermal processing is performed for the wafer in a low-oxygen curing and cooling processing apparatus. The low-temperature heat processing apparatus, the low-oxygen and high-temperature heat processing apparatus, a delivery section for the wafer between the low-temperature heat processing apparatus and the low-oxygen and high-temperature heat processing apparatus, and a delivery section for the wafer between the low-oxygen and high-temperature heat processing apparatus and the low-oxygen curing and cooling processing apparatus are brought to low-oxygen atmospheres.

Film forming method and film forming system

Prior to transfer of an wafer W, a mixed gas is being generated and exhausted, thereby fluctuation of concentration and temperature of a solvent component at the beginning of gas introduction into a chamber,is suppressed. A step of gelling after the wafer W is carried into an aging unit is divided into several steps. Until a temperature of the wafer W reaches a predetermined treatment temperature, an average concentration of the solvent component in a mixed gas is gradually raised relative to the temperature of the wafer W. Thereby, immediately after the wafer W is transferred into a sealed chamber, the gas of the solvent component is prevented from condensing.

Spin coating apparatus including aging unit and solvent replacement unit

A coating unit, an aging unit, and a solvent substituting unit are adjacently disposed. The waiting time period after a wafer is loaded to the coating unit until the coating process of the coating process is started, is adjusted so that the staying time period of the wafer in the coating unit becomes longer than the staying time period of the wafer in the aging unit and the staying time period of the wafer in the solvent substituting unit (whichever longer). The staying time period of the wafer in the coating unit is designated as a rate determiner. Thus, after the coating solution is coated to the wafer, the wafer is quickly conveyed to the next process. Consequently, since the solvent can be suppressed from evaporating, an excellent thin film can be obtained.

Film forming apparatus, substrate conveying apparatus, film forming method, and substrate conveying method

A gas flow regulating surface portion,is the farthest from the front surface of a wafer W in the middle between a peripheral portion of the wafer W and a center portion of a sealing vessel. The gas flow regulating portion,protrudes to the front surface of the wafer W in the vicinity of a center portion that surrounds an exhausting opening,In other words, a convex portion,is formed in a peripheral area of the gas flow regulating surface portion,that surrounds the exhausting opening,Since treatment gas flows along the front surface of the gas flow regulating portion,treatment gas equally contacts the wafer W in the radius direction of the wafer W. Thus, a film with equal thickness is formed.

A partition member with a buffer plate disposed on the top surface thereof is disposed in a region belonging to a surface-to-be-processed of a substrate-to-be-processed held in a processing apparatus. An injector having cross-sectional areas decreasing toward the forward end thereof is disposed in the partition member. The injector has a number of injection holes formed length-wise therein at a constant pitch and in the same bore, whereby a processing gas can be injected very uniformly in the longitudinal direction and diffuse in the partition member. Then the processing gas is passed through vent holes formed in the buffer plate uniformly into the processing chamber. The processing gas can be fed uniformly onto the surface-to-be-processed of the substrate-to-be-processed, and a deposited thin film can have high intra-surface thickness uniformity.

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Kawasaki, Japan

Yoji Mizutani